In a move that sparked a storm of international controversy, US President Donald Trump’s decision to…Cancellation of immigration applications Citizens of 19 countries presented a wide wave of criticism, after international law experts considered it a blatant example of disguised racial discrimination and a clear violation of the United States’ legal and moral obligations.
From the first moment the decision was announced, its humanitarian, political, and social repercussions seemed capable of putting international relations to a very sensitive test, especially with what the decision revealed of direct targeting of countries with an Islamic, African, and Latin American majority, which specialists considered an assault on basic human rights principles.
At the heart of this legal and human rights storm stands out the warning of international law professor Dr. Mohamed Mahmoud Mahran, who described the decision as “a blatant violation of international law and institutional racial discrimination,” warning of catastrophic repercussions that would affect millions of people and undermine confidence in the American legal system itself.
International law professor: Trump’s decision to cancel the immigration applications of 19 countries is a violation of international law and disguised racial discrimination
Dr. Mohamed Mahmoud Mahran, professor of public international law and member of the American and European Associations of International Law, criticized the decision of US President Donald Trump to cancel the immigration applications of 19 countries, describing the decision as a blatant violation of international law and disguised racial discrimination that will have catastrophic repercussions on millions of people and on international relations.
Dr. Mahran confirmed in an exclusive interview with “Sada El Balad” that the decision represents a blatant example of institutional racism, explaining that the targeted countries are mostly Islamic, African, or Latin American countries and that this clearly reveals the racist and Islamophobic motives behind the decision and that national security claims are just a cover to hide racial discrimination.
He pointed out that the decision targets millions of people with the stroke of a pen, stressing that hundreds of thousands of immigration applications pending for years from citizens of these countries were canceled without any consideration for the humanitarian, family, or professional circumstances of their owners, and that the dreams of millions of people were shattered by an arbitrary political decision.
The international law professor indicated that the expected impact on the citizens of the targeted countries will be catastrophic, explaining that the effects include the destruction of the life plans of thousands of families who have been waiting for years, the disintegration of families due to the separation of their members between America and the countries of origin, huge material losses for those who paid thousands of dollars in fees, lawyers, and procedures, and the infliction of enormous psychological and social harm on millions of people and their families.
He noted that the decision will seriously affect bilateral relations, stressing that some of the targeted countries will consider the decision a national insult and racial discrimination against their people, and that this will inevitably lead to tense diplomatic relations, a decline in security and economic cooperation, and a review of strategic alliances with Washington.
He stressed from the perspective of international law that the decision violates basic principles, explaining that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights guarantees the right to movement and movement and prohibits discrimination on the basis of national origin or religion, and that the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights prohibits arbitrary discrimination between persons on the basis of nationality.
Mahran also indicated that the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination condemns this decision, stressing that the agreement ratified by the United States prohibits any discrimination on the basis of national or racial origin and that targeting specific countries because of their ethnic or religious composition constitutes a clear violation of this agreement.
He stated that the decision contradicts the 1951 Refugee Convention, explaining that many of the targeted immigration applications were for people fleeing persecution or wars, and that canceling it would put their lives at risk and conflict with America’s international obligations to protect refugees.
Dr. Mahran also noted that the decision strikes the credibility of the American legal system, stressing that canceling applications that were processed for years, paid fees, and were subjected to security checks calls into question the seriousness and reliability of American legal procedures and destroys individuals’ confidence in the legal system.
He explained that there are Arab and Islamic countries on the targeted list, warning that this will deepen the feeling of injustice and discrimination among the Arab and Islamic peoples, increase anti-American sentiment in these societies, and undermine efforts at cultural and civilizational rapprochement.
The international expert warned that the decision may prompt affected countries to take countermeasures, pointing to the possibility of imposing similar restrictions on American citizens, expelling American diplomats, reconsidering security and intelligence cooperation, or an economic boycott of American products and companies.
Mahran called on the international community to clearly condemn the decision, stressing the need to issue statements of condemnation from the United Nations, international human rights organizations, the European Union, the League of Arab States, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
He also called on the High Commissioner for Human Rights to intervene, stressing the need to open an investigation into the extent of the decision’s conformity with America’s international obligations in the field of human rights and to address the American administration to withdraw this discriminatory decision.
Mahran stressed that this decision represents a dangerous example of racist populism, warning that policies based on discrimination and hatred destroy international relations, spread discord and hostility between peoples, and undermine common human values, stressing that America, which was built on immigration, is betraying its history and values with such shameful racist decisions.
