Gretchen's Take: How different is Trump's ban from Carter's?
How Jimmy Carter banned Iranians from entering the U.S.
Since Donald Trump proposed his plan to temporarily put a stop to all Muslims coming into this country, both Democrats and Republicans have denounced the plan as un-American.
Yes, legal scholars say a plan to ban people from entering this nation legally based on religion is unconstitutional. But what about based on country of origin? Well, President Jimmy Carter did just that back in 1979.
Carter issued a number of orders to put pressure on Iran during the hostage crisis; including imposing restrictions on the issuance of visas and permanent resident alien ID cards. And here’s what the U.S. Court of Appeals said in giving the go ahead to Carter to crack down on Iranian students who were here in the United States.
"... The present controversy involving Iranian students in the United States lies in the field of our country’s foreign affairs and implicates matters over which the President has direct Constitutional authority. Judges are not expert in that field and they lack the information necessary for the formation of opinion …"
So, Carter ordered 50,000 Iranian students here in the U.S. to report to immigration offices and if they were in violation of their visas – they were deported.
Carter’s actions were what he thought necessary to keep this nation safe.
So, in an era of radical Islamists who want to kill us and come to this country, let me know, is Trump’s plan that different?
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