One big issue currently is the immigration ban. This ban barred any Syrian refugees from entering the United State for 90 days from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. This also prevents many green card holders from these countries to return to the United States. Many stories have come out about the struggles for citizens to get in and out of the country due to the ban. One situation is a man who cannot leave the country for a conference which will give him exposure to leaders in his field to prepare for the job market after his post doc. If he does leave, he may not be able to return to finish his post doc. Many other issues have arisen from the ban, some more severe than this, but this is not all the ban has created. However, this ban has created more problems than just legal issues. The ban has been perceived by some as racist towards Muslim people, a topic that has become more prevalent since the new administration.

The Middle East is predominately populated by Muslims. As a result, that area is typically associated with Islam. One group of Islam that many know about is ISIS. ISIS is a group of radical Muslims that have committed many crimes around the world. Muslims are also associated with 9/11. Ever since the terrorist attack on the twin towers, there was an upsurge in negative stereotypes towards Muslim Americans. The typical stereotype depicted them as dangerous and people treated them as such due to the recent events. While the racism never disappeared, it lessened over the years as people began to feel safe again. However, this new ban has brought back those fears that have laid within some people all this time. More racist comments are being made and Muslims have felt less welcome in the United States after this ban. Racism has always been an issue in the United States, but with the Trump administration, it has increased because the administration has painted Islam as something to fear as their constant comments towards the Middle East. This newfound confidence has also bled into to other race issues. People find it more acceptable to call out other race groups when surrounded by others of a similar mindset, this is called riot mentality. This administration has grouped these people and have moved the issue of stereotypes “backwards” and we need to reevaluate how we treat other groups. One must understand their mentality though.

One thing that should be clear is that not every supporter of Trump is a racist. These are smaller groups that have begun stating their distraught with the state of the country and blame it on these other groups. The ban was not created though with racist intensions. The ban was created to reduce the number of immigrants that come into the United States so that more American workers could get jobs. The Trump administration felt that the United States helped other countries when it did not focus on itself. People supported Trump in this as job security was important for them and they felt that this ban was the first step for jobs to return to the United States. The accusations of racism are deflected as liberal supporters still being upset of the election results. The idea is to put America first, but the question is how well is this plan going to work.

The unemployment rate in America by the end of Obama’s presidency was under 5%. While this is not one of the biggest problems that America faces currently, people view it as an issue as the wage gap only continues to increase between the classes. My view on the whole issue is while that job security is important, equality is a struggle that people have dealt with for centuries and America cannot move back on equality. Globalization is only expanding and for America to compete, I feel that we cannot waste time focusing on how we are different and instead focus on innovation. Regardless of one’s views, everyone wants to see America to succeed and neither opinion is definitively correct, but an issue like this requires people to talk about to find the solution that will make America flourish the most.

Works Cited

Coleman, David. “United States Unemployment Rates by President, 1948-2016.” Research. History in Pieces, 12 Dec. 2016. Web. 07 Feb. 2017.

Khan, Mussarat. “Attitudes Toward Muslim Americans Post-9/11.” Khan, Mussarat. Michigan Publishing, University of Michigan Library, 2012. Web. 07 Feb. 2017.

Liptak, Adam. “President Trump’s Immigration Order.” New York Times. The New York Times, 28 Jan. 2017. Web. 7 Feb. 2017.

Morello, Lauren, and Sara Reardon. “Meet the Scientists Affected by Trump’s Immigration Ban.” Nature.com. Macmillan Publishers, 29 Jan. 2017. Web. 07 Feb. 2017.