A Very Interesting List of Countries: Treetops Response to New Travel Ban
Published Friday, June 6, 2025 at 9:05pm EDT. Please note that things may have changed since this article was written.
You may have heard the latest round of executive orders included a travel ban on 19 countries, announced on the heels of a Supreme Court ruling that withdrew a legal protective status for those who fled from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela.
At Treetops, the majority of our program members are from countries either on the travel ban list or who recently had their legal status revoked. These are people who came to the US legally, welcomed with protection against war and violence, and now are being shunned and pushed out - back to places they fled from for their safety.
These are our dear sisters and friends. We know these families - people who are rebuilding their lives, investing in their future by learning English, getting a driver's license, working hard to save for their next chapter. In the midst of all of this, they are often extending care and support for the newly arrived as well.
As our team discussed the latest news this morning, we reflected on how it will impact our staff and the women we work with. One coworker noted, "It's a very interesting list, and I’m curious about the strategy behind the selection of countries. The list unfairly targets poorer, majority-Muslim, or Black-majority countries. It raises questions of racial, religious, and ethnic discrimination."
By creating a travel ban like this, restricting family connections (even for those who undergo rigorous background checks) is a declaration that all people from those places are unsafe or untrustworthy. This does long-term collective harm, reinforcing untrue, negative narratives and single-stories about our neighbors. But it also does harm individually, to people who carry their home cultures with pride, whose English is graced by touches of the language of their grandmothers - when these lists are used to promote an unfounded fear of our neighbors, our friends.
To many who are reading this, we have the luxury of stepping away from the media, entering the weekend, grilling or going to the beach, celebrating the end of the school year or the Eid holiday with family. At the same time, so many in our community are navigating emergency plans and pondering if they'll be able to see their loved ones again. We must not look away. We must act in whatever ways we can to stand with our immigrant and refugee neighbors before it is too late.
Will you please stand with us in advocating against such harmful, unwelcome, and unAmerican policies by continuing to call your representatives, and sharing your cross-cultural experiences and stories with people in your own circles?
Help us fight these unfair and harmful narratives by joining us in this work at Treetops with a $25 gift today.
