Trump’s ban on Muslim immigrants has been called “un-American,” but history shows that exclusion is a very American practice

Last Friday, President Trump issued an executive order banning Syrian refugees and those from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the US. Lina Newton writes that since the 1950s, presidential decisions on refugee policy have been closely linked to an administration’s foreign policy concerns; Trump’s order continues that tradition. She argues that given its popularity with Trump’s base, challenging the ban may be an uphill fight.