Trump’s ‘Terror’ Travel Ban Applies to Christians and Jews, Too
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence addresses the Republican Jewish Coalition at their spring conference in 2015. Image by Getty
In a way, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has been true to his word that his “terror ban” is not just about keeping Muslims out of the country. He’s looking to keep out Christians and Jews, too.
The campaign’s proposal to temporarily ban immigration from countries “compromised” by terrorism is about the lack of a proper vetting system for these immigrants, not their religion, said Trump’s running mate Gov. Mike Pence in an interview Monday on The Charlie Sykes Show, a Wisconsin radio talk-show.
When asked by Sykes whether the temporary ban on Muslim immigration, which Trump originally proposed (and Pence originally criticized), would include Christians and Jews in its latest iteration, Pence said immigration by all individuals from compromised countries would be suspended.
“To say that individuals that come from regions or countries that have been compromised by terrorism, that we would suspend that immigration, I think that’s appropriate until we develop a new vetting system,” Pence said, noting that the self-proclaimed caliphate of the Islamic State stretches across multiple countries.
In July, Trump said on “Meet the Press” that his campaign’s proposal to halt immigration from — as of now — unnamed countries supposedly compromised by terror represents an “expansion” on his proposed Muslim ban, not a revision.
H/t to @wpjenna on this – here are the countries that Trump decried refugee entry from in last 48 hours: pic.twitter.com/WDz02ylYLr
— Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) August 6, 2016
A poll released by Morning Consult in June showed that half of Americans backed Trump’s ban on Muslim immigration, including almost three-fourths of likely Republican voters.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
