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We Won Against The Muslim Ban

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Friday, March 17th, 2017
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Overnight, two courts intervened to temporarily block Trump’s new Muslim ban, which was set to go into effect at midnight. This is a vindication for human rights and public outrage. It’s also an enormous relief to people across the country: For a family worried for the grandmother now “banned” from reuniting with them, for newly married spouses torn apart.

These court orders also stand in for hope: That the brazen bigotry of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign will fail. They symbolize our defense against what we hope is unimaginable here: A special registry of all the Muslims, an indiscriminate round-up. And, we hope they are a reality check against our worst fear: Forcing people into camps based on who they are, in a bleak repeat of Japanese imprisonment after World War II.

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I am relieved, but also deeply worried: Too much is starting to seem “normal” in this deluge of the bizarre and bigoted. This morning, President Trump sent budget requests to Congress that seek more than $6 billion to build a wall at the southern border and lock up people who are fleeing violence and persecution.

The cuts to UN funding and humanitarian aid are like gushing, arterial bleeds — to anyone who understands how this government works, or who cares to see it keep working. It is no exaggeration to say that thousands of lives hang in the balance: From peacekeeping missions to programs aimed at saving the lives of mothers giving birth, these budget cuts slash blindly and ferociously.

Last night, after the Hawaii court dealt a legal blow to his second Muslim ban, President Trump immediately doubled down, pledging to take it all the way to the Supreme Court, if necessary. “We’re going to win,” he said. Right now, though he has the presidency and his party holds the majority in Congress, one of his irrational and inhumane policies is losing.

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