Donald Trump’s minions spent most of Sunday trying–and largely failing–to defend Trump’s ban on immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries. However, by far the most callous response came from a very familiar source–his information minister, Kellyanne Conway. She actually said with a straight face that the chaos caused by this unworkable and potentially illegal order is worth it if it means keeping the country safe from terror.
Conway didn’t start out
Apparently Conway knew she was in for a rough ride, because for the second time in 48 hours, she opted for the seemingly friendly confines of Fox News Channel to defend her boss. In this case, it was Fox News Sunday. Watch here.
In a rare outbreak of journalism, host Chris Wallace asked Conway if the prospect of refugees and permanent legal residents potentially being barred from entering the country should have been worked out before Trump signed the order. Conway replied that the actual number of people who were affected by this order is fairly small.
“And I think in terms of the upside being greater protection of our borders, of our people, it’s a small price to pay.”
Um, Kellyanne? Maybe you should try telling that to Syrian national and Saudi resident Sahar Algonaimi. She was on her way to the United States to help care for her 76-year-old mother, who is recovering from breast cancer surgery. She flew from Abu Dhabi to Chicago, only to be told she would not be allowed to enter this country. Despite a valid visa and a letter from her mother’s surgeon saying that she was “needed to assist” in her mother’s care, customs officials told Algonaimi she had to go back to the UAE. Algonaimi openly wept on the phone with her mother and her younger sister, Nour Ulayyet, during this ordeal.
Ulayyet, who is an American citizen, told The Huffington Post that this is the very situation her family thought she left behind when they came to this country. “I didn’t leave Syria for this,” she said. In a colossal understatement, she denounced Trump’s order as “an inhumane law,” and has vowed to fight it.
Conway might also want to talk to an Iraqi refugee who was detained despite spending a decade helping the American effort in Iraq. Hameed Darweesh was granted a special immigrant visa on the same day Trump was sworn in–a well-deserved reward for his efforts in translating for American soldiers. However, when he arrived at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, customs officials detained him while allowing his family to pass. He was detained for 19 hours before being released. Darweesh has joined Sameer Abdulkhaleq Alshawi, another Iraqi who was detained and released while en route to joining his wife in the United States, in suing Trump over their detention.
She may also want to talk to the green card holders from the seven predominantly Muslim countries who may not be allowed to come back to the United States if they leave–even if on vacation. Families have been torn apart, professionals have been kept from assuming or returning to their jobs, and students have been unable to return to school.
So riddle me this, Kellyanne–or should I say, Cruella. Are you willing to tell the innocent people ensnared by this misbegotten, inhumane, and potentially illegal order to their faces that they’re merely paying a small price? Or are you willing to apologize to them? Unless you’re willing to do either, do this country a favor and shut up.
(featured image courtesy Gage Skidmore, available under a Creative Commons BY-SA license)
