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TRULY YOURS Trump’s tough stance
Mohammad Ali Sattar
President Donald Trump signed a sweeping set of immigration-related executive actions jumpstarting a wall along the US-Mexico border, cracking down on sanctuary cities, and directing significant resources toward swifter deportations for undocumented immigrants currently in the country.
There was the apprehension that Trump might act according to his pledges during the election times. But many thought that he cannot be as tough as he sounded. The American presidency is not an easy task, so he will need to compromise on things that will affect US relations and also protect the interest of the Americans round the globe.
It is only a few days that he came into the White House. Trump is following through on some of his biggest campaign plans, satisfying supporters eager to combat the flow of undocumented immigrants into the US but alarming activists worried about rising xenophobia and a new era of mass deportations, reports politico.com.Trump, who signed the orders before around 70 people at the Department of Homeland Security around 1:30pm, is going a bit fast than presumed. He appears to be in a hurry, for reasons unknown. He could have taken time and ponder over these areas. But now it shows that he was all set to undertake these issues that he has embarked on. He has already cranked out documents undercutting Obamacare, freezing regulations, halting most federal government hiring, reining in abortion funding overseas, and advancing the Keystone and Dakota Access pipelines.Trump this week is set to slash the number of refugees to be allowed to resettle in the US, according to the New York Times, particularly from Syria and other Muslim-majority countries. Around 4.8 million Syrians have fled to neighboring countries alone, according to the United Nations. An estimated 18,000 Syrians have fled to the US.The orders would restrict immigration and access to the US for refugees and visa holders from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, according to the Washington Post. Citizens from those countries already face large obstacles to obtaining US visas.
Talking about the refugee crisis and granting refuge to them, Trump is paying importance to the safety issues of America. In a way he might be right. But this will have long term repercussions for sure. Single handed deals will not bear fruitful results. Regarding health care, freezing regulations, halting federal government hiring, reining in abortion funding overseas, and advancing the Keystone and Dakota Access pipelines – all these will have t be given ‘serious‘ thought. It’s not easy to perceive the future. The impacts will have to be considered.
Trump called for ban on Muslims from outside during the elections. Now he is likely to work on those directions. But there is already sharp criticism and protest. American people will surely not like this. Regarding ‘México walls’ this will also raise voices in Mexico and other parts of American continent. How far the justification in erecting walls is is a big question that should be seriously deliberated within the Trump circle.