Was Donald Trump out of Line?

Donald Trump was quoted as saying he’d shut down immigration and not allow any Muslims into the U.S. until lawmakers “know what we’re doing.” Media outlets, the President’s spokesman, and even fellow Republican presidential candidates heatedly denounced Trump as a bigot, crazy, and a misguided missile. Ted Cruz simply said, “That’s not my policy.”

What happened next?

Trump’s numbers went up eight points. Early polling in South Carolina, the first southern primary in February, shows Donald Trump leading by 35% to Ben Carson’s 15% (Cruz and Rubio at 14% each). Trump’s detractors might hate his remarks, but his supporters love them, and as it turns out, they have the facts on their side.

In fact, stopping immigration by country is not unprecedented, and the U.S. law in the graphic above allows the President to regulate immigration according to religion! In 1980 during the Iranian hostage crisis, President Jimmy Carter declared all visas issued to Iranian citizens invalid and said they would not be reissued, nor would new visas be issued. He invoked the Nationality Act of 1952. Carter ordered 50,000 Iranian students in the U.S. to report to the immigration office. A U.S. appeals court allowed the deportation of those in violation of their visas. Fifteen thousand were forced to leave the U.S.

Interestingly, a subset of that act bars entry of “Aliens who are polygamists or who practice polygamy or advocate the practice of polygamy.”

Those same media outlets are now having to admit Trump wasn’t out of line.

---

 

Why this Matters: Legislation is coming up for a vote in the Senate on Thursday that would prohibit the government from barring anyone entry into the U.S based on their religion. Essentially, this would be an amendment to that law.

How to Pray: Father, we ask for safeguards, wisdom, and policies that favor the U.S. first. We ask that this bill to amend our law would be defeated. Protect Christians who are suffering persecution. Your promises to us are wonderful! Remind those who fear for their lives that whether we live or we die, we are Yours.

(Psa 36:7) How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.

(Psa 57:1)  Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, 

until these calamities be overpast.

(Rom 14:8) For whether we live, we live unto the Lord;

and whether we die, we die unto the Lord:

whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.