Now that Trump has been elected president, it’s the question on everyone’s minds – could Trump actually ban Muslims from entering the United States and even target the millions already living here? It’s a dreadful and painful question, and here’s what mic found out —
The proposed ban would obviously be a dark test to the constitution. mic makes the point that Trump may have an easier time finding precedent if there’s a shift from Islam as a religion to country of origin. (I know, shudder).
mic offers these precedents from America’s not so illustrious past:
— The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 which stopped emigration from China to the U.S. for a decade and barred Chinese people from becoming U.S. citizens. Chinese immigrants had to carry identification cards per the Geary Act. It was repealed in 1943.
— During World War II and under FDR, more than 100,000 Japanese-Americans were in internment camps on the basis of their origin. Trump has said that the U.S. is in “wartime,” and it is something to consider.
— During the Iran Hostage Crisis, Jimmy Carter stopped the issuance and renewal of visas for Iranian immigrants.
mic leaves us with this disturbing summary: “There’s no reasonable justification for the [Muslim] ban but then, there wasn’t reasonable justification for the Chinese Exclusion Act either. Unfortunately, Trump wouldn’t need justification. There exists a clause within the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act that leaves the matter of “excludable aliens” entirely up to executive power. Under this act, Trump can bar any group of immigrants from entry if he “finds” that group “detrimental,” and he can ‘impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate.’”
