On Friday, January 27th, 2017, President Trump issued an executive order that

  1. suspended immigrant and non-immigrant entry into the United States from seven Muslim-majority countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen – for 90 days;
  2. suspended all refugee admissions through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program for 120 days; and
  3. suspended admission of Syrian refugees indefinitely.

Earlier indication that U.S. green-card-holding permanent residents would not be allowed to enter the U.S. was retracted by the White House, saying that Permanent Residents should apply for waivers in order to enter the U.S., which would be reviewed and approved on a case-by-case basis.

Full text of the executive order is available here.

Taiwanese American Citizens League (TACL) condemns these executive actions, urges President Donald Trump to rescind this executive order, and calls upon Congress to pass legislation to repeal this ban.  We reject the executive order’s exclusion of immigrants based on race, ethnicity, religion, and political ideology. This temporary ban on immigration from seven majority-Muslim countries dangerously mirrors the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which also began as a temporary ban that curbed the rights of a specific ethnic group and lasted for 61 years.  The Taiwanese American community is only possible because of the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act, for which the House and Senate issued a formal apology in 2012.

TACL stands against Islamophobia, xenophobia, and racism, and stands with other minority communities of color in solidarity against this ban. We recognize that as a community, we do not live in isolation, and have a responsibility to speak out against injustice and discrimination when it occurs to other communities. As such, TACL stands alongside over 200 other AAPI organizations in signing onto a letter condemning President Trump’s recent executive orders and calling communities to resist any racist comments, actions, and law from President Trump and his administration.  As stated in the letter, we commit to the following

  • We will center and stand up for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community members who are likely to face increased levels of hate violence, targeting, and policing. We will center and uplift the experiences and calls to action of undocumented immigrants, Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim, refugees, women, and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex (LGBTQI) community members. We will also support the organizing and resistance strategies of AAPI groups and our allies closest to the ground in local communities.
  • We will defend all targets of bigotry, repression, and hate made by Mr. Trump’s Administration, or caused by the Trump Effect, with a broad principle of solidarity: “An attack on one is an attack on all.”
  • We will refuse to legitimate or normalize Mr. Trump’s Administration, where it violates the core principles of American democracy by using explicit appeals to racial and religious bigotry, xenophobia, Islamophobia, and misogyny to gain political power. We will reject ideas, statements, and policies that position AAPIs as a racial wedge against other communities of color.
  • We will reject any attempts by the Trump Administration to use AAPIs to make a case for their legitimacy and diversity and will not compromise our values and agency to gain a “seat at the table” in pursuit of narrow benefits. Nor will we conflate marginal visibility for genuine power and influence for our communities.
  • We agree to be transparent about our engagement with the Trump Administration, and to be held accountable for our organizational strategies and decisions.
  • We will raise awareness about how AAPI communities are affected by discriminatory and divisive rhetoric and policies and will stand firm in opposing them.
  • We will support those who assume personal and organizational risk to defend democratic institutions and practices including human, civil, and constitutional rights, against unjust laws and actions by the government, any group, or individual.
  • We will seek unity in pursuit of shared goals, knowing that defending democracy will require various kinds of movements and tactics to weather the coming period of increased repression, and to build a more humane and sustainable world.
  • We will work tirelessly toward an inclusive and democratic vision that ensures the safety, self-determination, and wellbeing of all people, and we will model this in our resistance and solidarity efforts.

Additionally, TACL is calling our members and other members of the Taiwanese American community to speak to your elected representatives to denounce the Executive Order.

CALL TO ACTION:

  1. Find out who your Elected Officials are: https://5calls.org/
  2. Call or email your Elected Officials to REJECT the Executive Order and do everything in their power to reverse it.
    • Provide your name and address to inform them you are a constituent.
    • Tell your Elected Official that you are against the immigration ban and that you expect them to denounce the executive order and do everything in their power to reverse it. If you can, provide a personal story or reason for why you oppose the ban to enhance the call.
    • Sample Email:

Senator/Representative [***],

My name is [ABC], and I am a Taiwanese American constituent living in [City, State, Zip Code].  I wanted to express my opinions so that you, as my elected official, can best represent your constituency.

[Firstly, I thank you for issuing statements and standing alongside people affected by President Trump’s Executive Order on immigration.]  I do not support President Trump’s Executive Order on immigration, and I expect you to take an immediate stand and action against this unconstitutional executive order.

Can I count on your support?

I look forward to your continued action. Thank you.