I’ve come down to the choice that compassion and openness always are the best answer. I’ve seen other countries welcome immigrants – some of those immigrants have been my own relatives. It isn’t easy for the country or the immigrants but I truly believe everyone’s lives can be enriched because of it. There is no “us vs. them.”

Countries have labor shortages that immigrants are willing to fill. People want to live where they aren’t in danger of violence or simply where they need better opportunities. I’m OK with that. In fact, I have ancestors from pre-revolution all the way to the generation right before mine that came here and were able to make lives for themselves. Most came for economic reasons. Again – I’m OK with that.

Dig deeper into US history. The antagonism was in the past, as now, over numbers and vacating workforce of entire departments, professions, industries, to replace with cheaper more maliable workers.
And that doesn’t fly, in any nation.
Around the globe people are discovering the voids in the selective history we all are being taught. US is no exception.

Pat, I appreciate your comment, especially your civil tone. I respectfully disagree with you. Trump’s ban is not the same as Obama’s. That was a temporary ban in direct response to a specific threat from a country where actual terrorist plots had been foiled. Trump’s ban is preemptive. No refugee or immigrant from any o the seven countries targeted by the ban has been implicated in any fatal terrorist attack in the United States. Trump’s ban requests a permanent halt to refugees from Syria.

Nationals from the seven countries singles out by Trump have killed zero people in terrorist attacks on US soil between 1975 and 2015.
On the other hand, Saudi Arabians (not included in the ban) who have been convicted of attempting, or completing a terrorist attack on US soil? 2,369. [according to a study by Alex Nowrasteh, an immigration expert at the libertarian Cato Institute]

Refugees? Not one single death has resulted from a terrorist activity by a Muslim extremist refugee between 1975 and 2015.

Far-right extremist violence on the other hand – in a shorter time period – between 1990 and 2016, there have been 292 deaths caused by far-right extremists, And the EXCLUDES the Oklahoma City bombing. [According to an April 2017 report by the Government Accountability Office]

On another point – when his ban temporarily took effect, there were MANY people who were denied entry who had VALID visas and travel documents. The implementation of the ban was racist. Pure and simple.

So, by the data, according to facts – who is it that Americans need to be protected from? I take broad issue with this administrations fomenting of hatred towards immigrants and refugees. Trump’s tolerance for Muslims applies only to the Dictators who can enrich his family personally. Not for those who can do good for our country and who desperately need shelter from extremists of any stripe, but particularly from ISIS.

I cede your point on the second paragraph.

Again, thank you for your civil discourse.

Many of the other statements above-i.e., 1965,1978,1980,1990,2001- are not to be construed as racial discrimination as author’s title indicates, they’re actually all encompassing.