The United States of America has a rich history built by people from all over the world, regarded endearingly as "The Great American Melting Pot". It wasn't until approximately 500 years ago that Europeans began to migrate to the "New World", and the United States of America wasn't established as its own political entity until less than 250 years ago. Since then, we have become world leaders in technology, science, education, etc. On the other hand, we have become very consumed by politics and the accumulation of wealth and as a result, we have forgotten our humble beginnings and at times, that other people are just like us. Moreover, with the newly elected Trump administration, it is now more important than ever not only to be aware of our rights as individuals and collectively, but to stand up for others' rights as well.

Picture this: boatloads of Europeans in the 13th and 14th century being turned away by Native Americans for fear of the destruction they may bring and havoc they may wreak — like advanced weaponry, smallpox, etc. Had this happened, the United States would be a far cry from what it is today, if it were to exist at all. The fact of the matter is, this country was built upon/by immigrants from Europe seeking better lives, seeking opportunity, and seeking liberation. Moreover, in the Declaration of Independence, it declares that "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness". While this document was written to protect and serve those who were to become citizens of the United States of America, these were the same people who migrated here, seeking these things (life, liberty, happiness) as well as breaking free from the bonds of oppression - and now, almost 250 years later, our government (particularly the Trump administration) is turning a blind eye to the idea of "all men created equal" and instead, depicting immigrants as all being terrorists, unworthy of the same opportunities given to the first Americans.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning entry of people from seven countries, referring to them as "terrorist hotbeds" — Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen. This ban in and of itself is unconstitutional. The Trump administration is trying to make abortion illegal, saying that it's unlawful as the aborted fetus is alive. At the same time, they are denying entry to this land of freedom and opportunity and completely disregarding that immigrants and/or refugees from these countries are people too. What's more is refugees who were already given green cards but left the country during the time between the Inauguration and Trump signing the executive order are denied re-entry for at least 90 days — these are people who have legally obtained the right to stay here, and yet are denied re-entry and are stranded.

The Trump administration immigration ban is attempting to provide more safety and security for citizens of the United States by denying entry to people from these "terrorist hotbeds" but in reality, Americans commit domestic terror attacks too. The 2016 shooting of Dallas police officers was committed by Micah Xavier Johnson, a native-born American. The 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting was committed by Omar Mateen, a native-born American. The 2015 Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood shooting was committed by Robert Lewis Dear Jr., an American. The 2015 Charleston church shooting was committed by Dylann Roof, an American. While there is evidence that supports the case that some people who weren't born in this country come here to commit these acts of terror, the fact of the matter is that just as many if not more of these attacks are done by natural-born American citizens. Banning people from a selection of countries won't stop the attacks - only knowledge, empathy, and compassion can. Now more than ever our country, let alone our planet, needs to see that it is only with understanding and love that the terror attacks will decrease substantially. We can't expect to make our country safer from within if we are creating worse and worse relations with other nations.

This new legislation signed and backed by the Trump administration is unconstitutional, and targets Muslims specifically as the seven countries listed are majority-Muslim. Moreover, it backtracks over the foundation of this great country and its humble beginnings. If the Trump administration really wants to make America great again, they should keep in mind how we got to where we are today, and that it hasn't always been great for anybody who isn't a middle to upper-class white man (like Trump himself).