As District Leader of the 47th Assembly District, I condemn President Donald Trump’s executive order to ban Muslim entry into the United States. This sets a dangerous precedent that can potentially take away the rights of everyday citizens. Furthermore, as a woman I completely empathize with the effects this order can have on families. Parents can be separated from their children and it echoes the decades of discrimination under the Chinese Exclusion Act 1882-1943.
My family was greatly affected by the Chinese Exclusion Act. Both of my grandfathers were in America and were unable to bring their families over during that time period. Because of this, both of my grandmothers never made it to America. The Trump administration’s actions are similar to those the United States made to Chinese individuals more than a century ago. Now, due to President Trump’s executive order, citizens with families in Syria will never be reunited. I hope that this decision will be changed, as this decision does not benefit America as a whole. The United States is a nation of immigrants and barring selective nations into this country make for a less diverse nation and also hurts our foreign intelligence community. I am heartened that the initial response of Federal Judges has been to put a stay on the implementation of this Order. It is my hope that our legal system will continue to protect people from the terrible impacts of this poorly thought out order as we continue to speak out against it.
