The Final Call

Trump Visa Restrictions, Limits On Refugees Reflect His Foreign Policy Campaign Promises

By Jehron Muhammad -Contributing Writer- | Last updated: Feb 1, 2017 - 8:18:29 PM

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President Barack Obama spent his last days in office, dismantling a homeland security program created to track immigrants from Muslim-majority countries and conditionally lifting the sanctions imposed on Sudan. President Donald Trump spent his first days in office moving retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn into the national security advisor position and limiting access to the U.S. for refugees and visa countries, including Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

Dismantling the program in an attempt to prevent Mr. Trump from fulfilling a campaign promise to create a Muslim registry, Amnesty International’s Naureen Shah, as an American Muslim and human rights advocate “is hoping against hope” the program is not reassembled.

Outgoing African Union Chair Dlamini Zuma “acknowledged the importance” of Obama’s move, “which will allow Sudan to reengage in international trade…”

This move, which will be reevaluated in six months, enables much needed trade and investment, comes in recognition of Sudan’s collaboration to curtail terrorism, and its efforts to improve humanitarian access.

According to journalist Khalil Charles, the former news editor of the London-based Islam Channel and editor of the online website Muslim Eye, President Trump’s very public use of the executive order appears to be the first salvo of his campaign promise, where he promised to create a Muslim registry and during his inauguration speech promised to eradicate Islamist terrorists “from the face of the earth.”

The president’s refugee restrictions, according to published reports, will probably include a multi-month ban on admissions from all countries until the State Dept. and Homeland Security can somehow reconfigure the vetting process.

Stephen Legomsky who was employed at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, as chief counsel said to CNBC, “The president has the authority to limit refugee admissions and the issuance of visas to specific countries if it is determined to be in the public’s interest.

“From a legal standpoint, it would be exactly within his legal rights,” said Legomsky, who now is a professor at Washington University School of Law in St. Louis. “But from a policy standpoint it would be a terrible idea because there is such an urgent humanitarian need right now for refugees.”

Charles, who spoke via phone from his office in London sees a “clear division” between those, like Mr. Trump’s new national security advisor Flynn, and those calling for a more balanced approach to America’s foreign policy in the Middle East and Africa.

Flynn, who served as an advisor to Trump throughout the presidential campaign has said that he agrees with Trump’s proposal to ban Muslims from entering the U.S, but now says, it “wouldn’t work,” and supports vetting Muslims from places where terrorism is a major threat.

Flynn, a registered Democrat who served in the Obama administration, was forced into retirement because “the stand I took on radical Islam,” according to an op-ed he wrote for the New York Post.

Charles who specializes in reporting on Africa and the Middle East, said Trump as presidentelect had tried to play the role of president by “pulling Egypt off from making a statement in the UN which involved being critical of Israel.”

Adding to this several heavyweight American figures including renowned attorney Ralph Nader and former president Jimmy Carter had urged President Obama to recognize the state of Palestine and support the Security Council motion condemning Israeli settlements.

Egypt apparently withdrew its motion making way for a coalition to put forth the critical resolution with the U.S. abstaining from voting. The resolution demanded that Israel end illegal settlement construction and passed in the Security Council.

A recurring theme during Mr. Trump’s campaign as part of his national security strategy was to “take the oil” from areas in Iraq controlled by the Islamic State. His apparent thought was taking the oil reimburse the U.S. for the cost of its military operations.

Charles feels Mr. Trump is true to his word. “Trump will make sure that oil resources will be monopolized and brought under American control,” he predicted. “Trump has repeatedly mentioned taking oil from Iraq and thinks he has every intention of making sure that those resources will be monopolized by the United States.”