The self-righteous backlash to Trump’s immigration ban could play into his hands

Donald Trump’s executive order which, he says, was aimed at making it harder for terrorists to enter America, targets three groups: refugees in general, who are blocked from entering the U.S. for the next 120 days; refugees from Syria, who may be barred indefinitely; and citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries (countries initially selected by the Obama administration), who are barred from entering the U.S. for at least 90 days.

The executive order is morally unacceptable (it amounts to collective punishment), strategically dubious (since many terrorists are home-grown or came from countries other than those seven), and was initially implemented in a confusing and clumsy way which caused distress and uncertainty to many travellers, including US residents, even if they were not in the end affected by the order.

Additionally, it sets an anti-immigrant tone, when immigrants can hugely benefit their new countries. Just in the hi-tech sector alone, many of America’s greatest companies have been founded by Jewish child refugees: Google creator Sergei Brin fled anti-Semitism in the Soviet Union with his parents in 1979; Jan