Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick Claims Trump’s Travel Ban was Driven by Prejudice

U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, (D-FL) accused the Trump administration of imposing recent travel bans against Haitians out of prejudice rather than protection.

"I have one simple question: Where is the data? What evidence shows that Haitians pose a threat to national security? There is none. No facts. No justification. Just a sweeping, baseless ban rooted in fear and discrimination." she said.

McCormick closed her post by promising "Haitians will not be silenced or sidelined. We will stand united, and we will win this fight — I believe that with everything in me."

Trump announced the travel ban policy last week after a firebombing attack in Boulder, Colorado, saying it is necessary for national security.

It revives a controversial travel ban that Trump had enacted during his first term.

The White House included Haiti among 11 countries subject to the ban, saying they “failed to meet screening and vetting standards and pose a very high risk to the United States.”

Haiti faces an extraordinary political, humanitarian, and security crisis. Armed gangs have thrived in the capital, Port-au-Prince, since the assassination of the country's last elected president nearly four years ago, which created a power vacuum.

Included in the policy announcement, Trump said that the secretary of state could issue travel waivers in cases that were in the “national interest” of the United States. 

When asked to clarify if that could apply to those with severe medical conditions requiring treatment in the U.S., the Department of Homeland Security offered a vague answer.

“President Trump’s action to limit the entry of foreign nationals from countries who have a significant terrorist presence, inadequate screening and vetting processes, and high visa overstay rates will help secure the American homeland and make our communities safer,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in the statement with the New York Times.