TOW #22 – “The travel-ban casualty the White House is ignoring” by Albert Teich

With relation to President Trump’s travel ban that is scheduled to take effect in March, Albert Teich argues in “The travel-ban casualty the White House is ignoring” that President Trump’s ban will negatively impact the United States of America’s role as a global leader in scientific studies. Backed with a strong appeal to logos, Teich supports a strong argument that Trump should reconsider his travel ban because of the unintended consequences on the field of science. Commenting specifically on Trump’s rhetoric, Teich recognizes the dangerous nature of Trump’s policy – he is simply not viewing the enormous contributions immigrants have that make America great. Arguing for the importance of immigrants in American schools, Teich cites, “foreign nationals represent more than 70 percent of full-time graduate students in electrical engineering, 63 percent in computer science and about half of all engineering faculty members” (Teich). Evidently, fields like computer science that may define the future of America currently accept many applicants from other countries. This is very significant for the field of science, because the United States can continue attracting interested students and also develop leading schools. Trumps immigration policy will prevent many of these students from seeing the United States as a leader in science, hurting the collaboration and achievement that scientists currently make globally. Additionally, Teich connect to the reader by stating, “Approximately 40 percent of Fortune 500 firms — including such tech-based giants as Google, Intel, eBay, and Apple — were started by immigrants or children of immigrants” (Teich). These enormous companies that are based in America are very widely known and seen as American enterprises. This supports Teich’s argument that Trump should reconsider his travel ban, which challenges fundamental American principles and has raised protest in response. While Trump claims to be acting in favor American industry, which was so heavily grown by immigrants and American-born citizens alike, he is failing to see that our American dream isn’t a White Picket Fence around our border. To continue our collaboration, to share the prosperities of science, to protect our American dream, Trump must lift his travel ban upon our “tempest-tost” (Lazarus).

Works Cited

Lazarus, Emma. “The New Colossus.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, 2002, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/46550#poem. Accessed 12 Mar. 2017.

Teich, Albert. “The Travel-Ban Casualty the White House Is Ignoring.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 10 Mar. 2017, www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trumps-travel-ban-is-a-threat-to-science/2017/03/10/b1b25158-0504-11e7-b1e9-a05d3c21f7cf_story.html?utm_term=.d63d2c0a0533. Accessed 12 Mar. 2017.