African Muslim Immigration Steadily Rising
Antonio DiLeo
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Immigration from Africa to the United States has been doubling every decade since 1970. On March 18th The Refugee Act of 1980 was signed by Jimmy Carter and is the the contributing factor to such increases in immigration from Africa over the last 40 years. The Refugee Act made it easier for those Africans who were trying to flee violent war plagued countries. African immigrants make up a small share of the nation’s immigrant population, but they accounted for 4.8% of the U.S. population, up from .8% in 1970.
When comparing Africans to other major groups who arrived in the U.S. in the last 5 years, Africans have the fastest rate of growth from 2000 to 2013, increasing by 41% in that time period. Africans are the fastest growing black immigrant group in the United States by increasing at a rate of 137% from 2000 to 2013.The majority of African immigrants that have been coming into the United States have come from Muslim majority countries. Two of the top three countries with highest immigration rate from Africa are Egypt and Nigeria. Egypt which is 90% Muslim to 10% Christian has 327 thousand immigrants in the United States (as of 2015) which comes in first for African nations. Nigeria, which only 20 years ago was 25% Muslim to 75% Christian is now 60% Muslim to 40% Christian. Nigeria has the third highest African immigrant population in the United States with 192 thousand (as of 2015).
This year on March 6 President Trump signed an executive order blocking citizens of six predominately Muslim countries from entering the United States. This executive order was to go into place on January 27 but was ultimately blocked by a judge from the liberal federal 9th Circuit court. This new order that was implemented and went into effect on June 21 imposed a 90 day ban from the following countries: Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Syria and Libya. The original executive order had also included Iraq, but before the order on March 6 went into effect Iraq had been removed from the ban list. A case could be made not only should Iraq have stayed on the travel ban list, but countries such as Egypt and Nigeria should have also been added to it.
Over the last 15 years Egypt has had an average of 7 terror attacks a year on its people, most of these attacks against their shrinking Coptic Christian population. Egypt is third overall terror attacks only behind Somalia and Nigeria who has been averaging 9 terror attacks a year in the last 15 years. Two of the top 3 countries for terror attacks in Africa are not on the travel ban list including the country who tops the list Nigeria. Boko Haram has been raising hell in Nigeria since its founding in north east Borno State in 2002. Boko Haram is responsible for some of the most horrific terror attacks the world has seen. It is said they are responsible for over 15,000 deaths and displacing over 2.3 million citizens of Nigeria. The attacks and violence of Boko Haram in Nigeria led many to try to get to the United States and others who were less fortunate have to flee to surrounding countries who are also infected with radical Islamic terror of Boko Haram and its sick ideology. In 2015 it was said that most of Boko Haram camps had been destroyed but recent news begs to differ. On Sept 19 ISIS Boko Haram linked jihadists used a machete to murder a Chief Imam and 4 villagers. Acts of terror like that have been a regular occurrence in Nigeria since Boko Haram was formed in 2002. How can it be possible the 2 of the top 3 countries for terror attacks in the African continent were not on the travel ban list remains to be explained, but not only should the travel ban list have added at least 2 more countries but should have been for twice the time. This is not to be taken lightly as we know terrorist organizations are trying to get into our country hidden under the guise of being refugees. So to say we can solve vetting issues from any group of countries in 90 days is unrealistic, but to not include 2 of the most radicalized countries with the highest rate of terror attacks on the planet makes the travel ban seem even weaker then we originally thought.
Sunday night September the 25th President Trump signed in a new travel ban as the original 90 day ban from the 6 majority muslim countries was set to expire at midnight. President Trumps new travel ban now sets restrictions to citizens from 8 countries which include: Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen, it will go into effect on October 18. Officials from the White House say they have been working on this new travel restriction order for months to avoid any confusion and chaos as happened in airports when the first one was being implemented, and each country has a specific set of rules according to the ban they most follow through with before it is lifted. Although these are all countries who should be on a list so we can adequately have a system to identify any and all citizens who would try to enter our country from these nations, its a disappoint to still not see Nigeria and Egypt on this list. Two of these most radicalized and terror stricken countries in the world who have many people that would love to get into our country and destroy it, its better to be safe then sorry and be able to identify anyone who has been part of a radical group before we would just let anyone from these countries in under a refugee status. We can only hope that the NSA and DHS are so sure that no radical can slip into our country under a refugee status without being identified.
Sources :
www.pewresearch.org
www.americansecurityproject.org
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