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Say what you want about US President Donald J Trump, but he seems to have delivered on at least some of his election promises – something you can’t credit most politicians for. Unfortunately, the problem here is that many didn’t actually want him to keep his word. Trump has followed through with his promise to ban the entry of refugees from some Muslim-majority nations.
Trump’s move has not gone down well with many, including icons like Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Nobel Peace laureate Malala Yousafzai and Google CEO Sundar Pichai.
Zuckerberg is worried that Trump will go too far in his crackdown on immigration.
In a Friday post on his Facebook page, Zuckerberg is urging Trump to keep US borders open to refugees who need safe haven.
Like most technology companies, Facebook employs highly skilled immigrants as engineers who help create the company's products. The parents of Zuckerberg's wife, Priscilla Chan, are ethnic Chinese who fled to the US on a boat from Vietnam.
Google’s Pichai also slammed Trump’s move in a note to employees, telling them that more than 100 company staff are affected by the order.
"It’s painful to see the personal cost of this executive order on our colleagues," Pichai wrote in the memo, Bloomberg News reports. "We’ve always made our view on immigration issues known publicly and will continue to do so."
He delivered a sharp message to staff traveling overseas who may be impacted by the order, telling them to get back to the US now.
Pakistani student activist Malala said she was "heartbroken" by Donald Trump's order on refugees and urged the US president not to abandon the world's "most defenceless."
“I am heartbroken that today President Trump is closing the door on children, mothers and fathers fleeing violence and war,” said the 19-year-old, who was shot in the head by the Taliban in 2012 after publicly advocating education for girls in her home country.
Malala further said, "I am heartbroken that America is turning its back on a proud history of welcoming refugees and immigrants – the people who helped build your country, ready to work hard in exchange for a fair chance at a new life.”
"In this time of uncertainty and unrest around the world, I ask President Trump not to turn his back on the world's most defenceless children and families," she added in a statement, just moments after Trump signed the decree.
Widespread Censure of Trump’s Order
People are aghast at Trump’s executive order, which was signed on the same day as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. And many have pointed out the immense contribution of immigrants to the country.
Leading political scientist Ian Bremmer had the perfect example of the absurdity of Trump’s ban; he said in a post that America’s technology baron Steve Jobs was also the son of a Syrian migrant.
Many on Twitter condemned the order.
A user had an interesting insight on countries Trump listed in his order.
Democratic senators Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris stormed Twitter condemning Trump’s action, saying that at the end it is a Muslim ban, whichever way Trump spins it.
The White House did not immediately make the wording public, but a draft text leaked to US media said it would suspend the entire US refugee resettlement program for at least 120 days while tough new vetting rules are established.
In addition, it specifically bars Syrian refugees from the United States indefinitely, or until Trump decides that they no longer pose a threat.
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