Channels, Fall 2017

Page 81 Channels • 2017 • Volume 2 • Number 1 Bridges and Bandits on the Road to the New Jerusalem Ethan Beck, Unix Diza, and Amy Searl History and Government — Cedarville University Introduction n late January of 2017, President Trump signed an executive order banning non- American citizens traveling into the United States from seven different countries. The title of the order was “ Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States. ” As implied, the stated purpose was to limit the number of immigrants in order to avoid future attacks. Since the order took effect, people have argued against it, making claims about religious discrimination, ethnic discrimination, and Islamophobia. Beyond the religious and ethnic issues, though, remains the question of efficacy. President Trump claims that the executive order is necessary to ensure the effectiveness of the United States’ immigrant vetting procedures and thus protect the nation from terrorist incursion. In this way, he seeks to advance nationalist interests; his critics, meanwhile, assert that his actions are unfounded. Many who oppose the executive order argue that immigration does not play a role in the spread of terrorism, claiming that no immigrants from these particular countries have carried out successful terror attacks on the United States. For the order to serve a purpose, immigration must play a role in terrorism. Thus, the essential point of disagreement is whether a connection exists between the influx of migrants—especially those from terror-prone nations—and the occurrence of terrorist activity in the receiving nation. While there are a great deal of speculations and unfounded assertions on the possible link between immigration and terrorism, there have been few reliable, quantitative studies researching this question. The purpose of this study is to ameliorate the confusion caused by the dearth of research on this topic. In this study, we attempt to discover if a link exists between immigration from terror-prone nations and terrorism by examining the current literature and using data to analyze the levels of immigration as well as the incidents of terrorism in six countries. Literature Review As the world grapples with the refugee crisis stemming from Syria and other war-torn nations and destitute regions, one of the most contentious immigration policy issues is whether increasing immigration will lead to increased terrorist activity. The rise of Islamic terrorism with Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria over the last several years and the recent terror attacks in Europe have brought concerns of importing I