Donald Trump’s executive orders targeting Muslims, immigrants and refugees are moves that pander to the dangerous forces of racism and xenophobia.
These bans will worsen a worldwide humanitarian crisis, isolate us from our friends and allies, and make us even more vulnerable to terror attacks. Moreover, if these foolish actions are enforced, it will result in dire consequences for the economic well-being of our country. Immigrants of all races, creeds and national origins form a vital part of America’s economy as workers, job creators, and entrepreneurs.
I’m an immigrant of Lebanese Muslim descent. I’m also a telecom infrastructure expert, entrepreneur, and the founder and CEO of Capwave Technologies, based out of Asbury Park, New Jersey. Before launching Capwave, I helped restructure and launch several telecom startups and served as a strategic adviser to Fortune 500 companies. I hold a graduate degree in electrical engineering, and am currently enrolled in MIT’s Executive MBA program.
As an immigrant and successful small business owner, I’m living the American dream.
Like many immigrants, I lost relatives to conflict and war, and I came to the United States to make a better life. My fellow immigrants and I form a key part of the deep talent pool that has helped grow America’s economy and transform it into the economic powerhouse that it is today.
We immigrants are twice as likely to start our own business and are nearly a third of all entrepreneurs in the United States today. About 25% of the engineering and technology companies started in the US between 2006-2012 have at least one key founder who was an immigrant. Just in the engineering and high-tech sectors, immigrant-founded firms employed some 560,000 workers and generated $63 billion in sales in 2012.
It’s no wonder that companies such as Apple and Google are in an uproar over this executive order. This shortsighted policy will deprive them of the best and brightest talent available.
Our success as a nation, and my success as an entrepreneu would not have been possible without the generosity of Americans that came here before us and nurtured the spirit of inclusion and diversity that made this country a great nation.
The vetting process for immigrants and refugees is already robust and painstaking, and Trump’s executive orders will do little to stop terrorists from entering our borders.
But they will allow hatred and fear to breed within, and they will stop families fleeing death and terror from settling in our country, finding jobs, purchasing property and paying taxes. It will stop former interpreters and liaison officers who risked their lives serving and fighting alongside our armed forces.
It will stop highly qualified workers, academics, doctors, scientists, entrepreneurs, and business executives from bringing their dedication, expertise and innovative spirit to our shores. And if America won’t welcome this vast pool of human talent, this next generation of global citizens will simply find their way to other countries.
Make no mistake: we can’t attract the best talent for our economy by isolating ourselves. We can’t compete with the rest of the world unless we open ourselves to the rest of the world.
As a businessman, the President should understand this, but instead he’s chosen to play to the forces of bigotry and xenophobia. GOP congressional leaders should know better too, but most have chosen not to speak out against Trump. More of our elected officials need to show the courage of US judges who ruled that at least part of Trump’s executive order violated the most sacred tenets of our Constitution. America was founded on the backs of immigrants and refugees, and we’ll continue to thrive only if we continue to welcome to our shores, regardless of races, creed, religion or national origin. Continuing to welcome immigrants is our only pathway to peace and prosperity.
GOP congressional leaders should know better too, but most have chosen not to speak out against Trump. More of our elected officials need to show the courage of US judges who ruled that at least part of Trump’s executive order violated the most sacred tenets of our Constitution. America was founded on the backs of immigrants and refugees, and we’ll continue to thrive only if we continue to welcome to our shores, regardless of races, creed, religion or national origin. Continuing to welcome immigrants is our only pathway to peace and prosperity.
America was founded on the backs of immigrants and refugees, and we’ll continue to thrive only if we continue to welcome immigrants to our shores, regardless of races, creed, religion or national origin. Continuing to welcome immigrants is our only pathway to peace and prosperity.