Former president, Jimmy Carter, once said, “We become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams” regarding the United States of America. That is what makes America great, it is the ideology that anyone from any race or culture is allowed to live freely and peacefully in the country. However, throughout history, there have been periods of time where America has closed its borders to people seeking asylum as they may be associated with something dangerous. Prior to World War II, thousands of Jews fleeing the growing Nazi party sought haven in the United States. Fearing that they may be connected to nazis or even communists, over 900 of them were turned away. More than twenty-five percent of those people perished in the Holocaust. Today, President Trump is working to institute a refugee ban, barring all immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries.

President Trump must rescind his attempt to implement this ban because it is unethical and fruitless. Banning humans from our country because they are Muslim is wrong and can not be morally justified. We have always prided ourselves on embracing all kinds of freedoms, including religion. Since the end of World War II, we have been regarded around the globe as a haven for refugees from any and all countries. The fact that ISIS members are followers of Islam, should not reflect poorly on the religion itself or non-extremist followers of the religion. Every race and religion have bad people that support it. There are white murderers, black murderers, Jewish terrorists, Christian terrorists. That does not mean in any way, shape, or form that everyone, or anywhere close to the majority of people of those races or religions are bad. President Trump’s ban, effectively a Muslim ban, would show the world that we are a narrow-minded nation by unfairly punishing thousands of refugees, just because there are people in their religion that are terrorists.
       

In addition, President Trump’s proposed ban would be ineffective. Since 1980, there has not been a single terrorist act on U.S. soil committed by a refugee. Since 2001 alone, over 800,000 refugees have entered the United States. Not a single one of them has committed an act of terrorism. Neither the San Bernardino nor Boston Marathon attacks were committed by refugees. Furthermore, the terrorists were of Afghani, Saudi Arabian, and Pakistani descent. None of those countries are even on the banned list. 9/11, arguably the most infamous terrorist attack in history, was carried out by nineteen men. Not one of them was from one of the seven banned countries. Next, President Trump claims that we can not accept these people into our country because we have no idea who they are. At a speech in Phoenix, he said, “I always say, Trojan horse. Watch what’s going to happen, folks. It’s not going to be pretty.” In actuality, we know exactly who these people are. They are subject to a screening process that lasts on average anywhere from eighteen months to two years. Our government knows exactly who these people are once they have completed the rigorous and thorough vetting process. Finally, “The Syrian refugees who are coming to the US are among the most vulnerable in the Syrian conflict... Many have fled to escape the brutality of both the Islamic State and the Assad government and are doing so at their own peril”. The majority of people who want to come into our nation are fleeing ISIS, not members of the group. ISIS, in fact, has condemned Muslims who flee the Islamic State in search of a new life. One of ISIS’ main claims against the United States is that we do not help other countries or humans in times of need. Closing our borders validates their claim and causes many people to think that “their only salvation lies in ISIS”.

In conclusion, President Trump’s proposed refugee ban from the seven Muslim-majority countries would be both unethical and ineffective. Our nation is built upon the principles that everyone is welcome and equal. Also, no refugees have ever committed terrorist acts in our country. The people who have committed terrorist attacks have either been born in America, or from a nation not on the proposed list. President Trump must end his calls for this ban and instead should make America great again by allowing people from any race or religion to live peacefully in our country.