Sat Jan 25 03:34:52 IST 2025: ## Trump’s New Executive Order Sparks Fears of Broader Travel Ban, Targeting of Muslim-Majority Nations and Palestinian Rights Activists

**Washington, DC** – A new executive order signed by former President Donald Trump is raising serious concerns among civil rights advocates, who warn it could lead to a wider travel ban targeting Muslim-majority countries and a crackdown on legal residents, including international students supporting Palestinian rights. The order, titled “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats,” directs officials to compile a list of countries with insufficient vetting information, potentially leading to entry restrictions or even deportations for citizens of those countries already in the US.

Unlike Trump’s 2017 travel ban, which primarily affected entry into the US, this order also seeks to identify and potentially remove individuals already residing in the country based on their “actions and activities,” including those perceived as exhibiting “hostile attitudes” towards American culture or government. The vague wording is alarming experts, who fear it grants broad authority to target specific groups.

Deepa Alagesan of the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) called the order “bigger and worse” than the previous travel ban, warning it could disproportionately harm immigrant families. The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) echoed these concerns, stating the order allows for “wider latitude to use ideological exclusion.” The Muslim Public Affairs Council cautioned that enhanced vetting measures risk functioning as a de facto Muslim ban.

Experts point to the order’s potential targeting of Palestinians and their supporters. Professor Maryam Jamshidi of the University of Colorado Law School noted the order’s alignment with a right-wing agenda and the “great replacement” conspiracy theory. Dima Khalidi of Palestine Legal directly linked the order to efforts to suppress criticism of Israel, portraying such criticism as “un-American.”

While the order’s potential for mass deportations is debated, critics argue it allows for increased scrutiny of individuals from targeted countries and could deter political activism, particularly support for Palestinian rights. A previous Senate letter, co-signed by Senator Marco Rubio, called for the deportation of international students participating in pro-Palestinian protests, drawing parallels to 9/11 attackers. This aligns with the 2024 Republican Party platform’s call for deporting “pro-Hamas radicals.”

While the legal pathways for deportation under this order remain unclear, the broad language and the order’s focus on “proper assimilation” and a “unified American identity” have sparked fears of a far-reaching impact on immigration and free speech, extending beyond the scope of Trump’s initial travel ban. The order represents, in the words of Professor Jamshidi, “another salvo in the right’s culture wars.”

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