Democrats Condemn Trump’s Expanded Travel Ban as Dangerous and Divisive
Democrats are strongly criticizing former President Donald Trump’s latest travel ban, calling it “reckless” and “discriminatory.” Many lawmakers see the move as an attempt to divert attention from Trump’s controversial tax and spending bill.
On Wednesday night, Trump signed a sweeping executive order barring entry from 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Haiti, and Equatorial Guinea. He justified the ban by citing national security, foreign policy considerations, and counterterrorism goals.
California Senator Adam Schiff dismissed the policy as a repeat of Trump’s widely condemned first-term travel ban. “This is Trump’s reckless first-term travel ban all over again,” Schiff said. “Like before, it won’t make us safer—it will only isolate the U.S. further. Bigotry is not a national security strategy.”
Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington echoed those concerns, stating the ban is an extension of the original Muslim ban and reflects a troubling trend. “This discriminatory policy undermines what our country is supposed to stand for,” she said. “It hurts both our economy and the communities that depend on immigrants from these nations. Targeting entire populations based on disagreements with their governments is both unjust and dangerous.”
Critics also highlighted the timing of the announcement. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut pointed to the ban as a deliberate distraction from Trump’s tax proposal. Just hours before the travel ban was announced, the Congressional Budget Office released an analysis warning that Trump’s legislation—combining tax cuts and increased military spending—would add $2.4 trillion to the deficit and leave millions without health coverage. “It’s no coincidence,” Murphy said on social media. “Trump is trying to divert attention from a bill that kicks 15 million people off health care to give the wealthiest Americans a massive tax break.”
Representative Don Beyer of Virginia emphasized the deeper implications of the policy, calling it fundamentally un-American. “From his first Muslim Ban to this latest order, Trump’s travel bans have betrayed the ideals on which this country was founded,” Beyer said. “They don’t make us safer—they divide us and diminish our global standing.”
Beyer warned the ban would separate families, endanger asylum seekers, and reflect a broader agenda driven by prejudice. “This is not about security—it’s about racism,” he said.
