President Joe Biden is starting America, fresh. After suffocating under Trump’s command, the land of democracy once again stands strong. Biden has reversed a controversial travel ban and restrictions on definite countries with Muslim populations, this week. This decision counts as one of his first attempts to overturn Trump’s actions.
Biden wrote in his presidential action reversing the ban on Wednesday that “The United States was built on a foundation of religious freedom and tolerance, a principle enshrined in the United States Constitution. Nevertheless, the previous administration enacted a number of Executive Orders and Presidential Proclamations that prevented certain individuals from entering the United States first from primarily Muslim countries, and later, from largely African countries. Those actions are a stain on our national conscience and are inconsistent with our long history of welcoming people of all faiths and no faith at all.”
The initial Muslim ban was first enacted in 2017 and put the visas of people in several countries, including Somalia, Iran, Libya, Syria, Sudan, and Yemen in jeopardy. This ban was immediately challenged in court and went through several iterations with a narrower version but eventually upheld by the Supreme Court in a 5-4 vote.
Trump wasn’t satisfied by the number of countries he banned and so widened it to include Myanmar, Sudan, and Tanzania in January 2020.
Biden added that anyone who had their visa application denied as a result of the previous restriction may have their application reconsidered.
Joe Biden took this decision was taken only hours after being sworn in as the 46th president and did not just stop there. His new and immediate orders include implementing new mask mandates in airports, on public transportation, and on federal lands, and requiring international travelers to quarantine upon arrival to the U.S; yet another task Trump stubbornly refused to do.