Republican Hindu Coalition backs Trump’s immigration order

Washington, Jan 30 (IANS) The Republican Hindu Coalition (RHC), a vocal supporter of Donald Trump during his election campaign, announced its backing for the Presidents executive order on immigration.

The order, issued last week, bans nationals of seven Muslim countries - Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen - from entering the United States. It also barred Syrian refugees from entering the country.

"We applaud the Trump administration for taking this decisive move to protect our citizens from Islamic terror," Shalabh Kumar, chairman of the group, said in a press release.

"A firm stance against terror is one of the pillars of our organization and one of the central tenets of the Trump campaign, and we fully support our Commander-in-Chief taking the necessary steps to protect our country," he said.

The release said a board meeting of the RHC called on the administration to take "further steps" such as inclusion of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia "in the countries named in the Executive Order", "thorough investigation of green card holders from the banned countries in the 90-day ban" and "indefinite suspension of all refugees from entering the United States."

Kumar, who founded the RHC two years ago, said "While Americans do not discriminate, and this is a country that encourages legal immigration and celebrates the contributions that immigrants have made to our culture, it is about time we get serious about combating the dangers of terrorism on our shores", American Bazaar online reported on Monday.

He added: "Do any of us want to take the risk that Woodfield Mall in Chicago will be the next target? If allowing these people into the country will increase that risk by even a minimal amount, that is not a risk we should take."

The release said the RHC will hold a press conference in Washington, DC, "to address the issue of the executive order, particularly as it applies to Indian Citizens."