January 27, 2017, Trump signed Executive Order 13769, entitled Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States. The document actively suspends the U.S Refugee Admissions Program for 120 days and suspends admission of all Syrian Refugees indefinitely. It also suspended travel and immigration into the United States from countries such as Iran, Syria, Libya, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, Iran, and Yemen.

Just as soon as the order took effect, U.S Immigration officials were left in confusion as to how the new order affects each person. They came to the conclusion that Green Card holders would still be allowed to freely enter the States whereas new immigrants  would be detained and then later sent back on a return flight. However, once the conclusion came about, President Trump’s inside circle instructed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to allow green card holders in on a case by case basis to ensure maximum security.

In one case the DHS held Hamdiyah Al Saeedi, the mother of a sergeant in the 82nd Airborne Division stationed at Fort Bragg NC, at Kennedy Airport when she arrived. Sgt. Al Saeedi immediately worried his mother had gotten lost, since she cannot speak English, and flew out to New York to find her. When he arrived he learned that she had been detained and stated, “They wouldn’t even let me see her.”

In New York thousands of people flooded JFK Airport chanting “No ban, no wall, sanctuary for all.” and “No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here.” The protesters were also equipped with signs that read “Immigrants are America” and “Shame.”  New York’s mayor Bill de Blasio asked a crowd in Battery Park “Are you ready to fight for the values of this city and this country?” The mayor was answered with a roar of “Yes!”

However in Texas, Attorney General Ken Paxton stated, “The law makes it very clear that the president has discretion to protect the safety of the American people and our nation‘s institutions with respect to who can come into this country.”

As the week continued, Executive Order 13769 was labeled “the Travel Ban” or “the Muslim Ban.” President Trump spoke to Americans via Twitter, stating, “Call it what you want, it is about keeping bad people (with bad intentions) out if this country!” He made another reference to it later that week commenting, “We must keep ‘evil’ out of this country!”

Opinions at Bob Jones varied widely.

“I believe it is misunderstood.” said Coach Travers, a math teacher at Bob Jones, “It’s not a travel ban or a Muslim ban, it is a restriction on people entering the United States from countries that have those type of people in them.”

Ethan Crosby, a junior at Bob Jones stated, “I don’t think it’s right. This country was founded on immigrants and we need them in our country to survive.”

“I think it’s a matter of communication.” stated Coach Schrimsher, a history teacher and Girls Golf coach. “You need to have good communication from the White House to the Congress and so on to have a smooth transition from one level to the next. I can understand the reasons for it, with keeping people with bad intentions out, but at the same time not all people from these areas are bad people. The individuals responsible for the 9/11 attack weren’t just from Iraq, they were from Egypt and Lebanon and even spent time in Germany. So I guess you can say I agree and disagree.”