Over the years, the U.S., and particularly the St. Louis area, has opened its doors to refugees that are the victims of war. This is evident with the over 300 Syrian refugees that have resettled in St. Louis since the start of the war and the thousands of Bosnian refugees that were welcomed to the city in the 1990s. These refugees have helped give St. Louis its identity as a city with a strong sense of diversity. This nation has a rich history of lending a hand to those in need, but that title is in serious danger.

Over the past few weeks, President Donald Trump has issued numerous executive orders relating to immigration, most notably a 90-day travel ban for people that are from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Somalia, Yemen, Sudan and Libya, that was recently struck down in court, though the president has vowed to challenge the ruling. This is a direct contradiction to the values that this country was built on, as these nations have had refugees flooding out to escape the wars and turmoil that have engulfed their countries, looking anywhere they can for help. The fact that the U.S. is not a possible option for these people under President Trump’s order goes against everything that this country was built on.

Throughout history, Americans have been there to lend a helping hand to those in need, and this cannot change now. The American people must be willing to help the victims of war, much like they were in the 1990s with the influx of Bosnian refugees fleeing the war that engulfed their country. This is who we are as a people. This is what our country was built on.

Many protests have been spurred since President Trump’s travel ban was put in place, some of which have taken place in St. Louis, showing that the residents of the area care for the diversity and the helping hand that the area has lent over the years. However, President Trump’s actions are not the first attacks on the way the U.S. has been helping others for years. President Andrew Jackson did it with the forced resettlement of Native Americans on the Trail of Tears. President Jimmy Carter did it when he barred people from Iran from entering the country. President Barack Obama did it when he signed the Terror Travel Prevention Act, which barred people from the same countries as President Trump’s order from entering the country. All were wrong. All were overturned. But the current administration is not letting their order go without a fight. When the order was taken down in court, the president vowed that he would continue to fight for his executive order. That means that the people who want to keep helping those in need, especially those who have been doing it for years, such as the people of St. Louis, must keep fighting against it.

In order to preserve the American way of helping the victims of war, the people of the St. Louis area must make their voices heard. They must continue to fight the president’s orders, in order to continue helping the way that St. Louisans have for generations, whether it be with the 300 resettled Syrian refugees or the way they helped with the thousands of Bosnian refugees. The people of St. Louis must continue to fight for the way that this country has been since it was conceived, a safe haven for the victims of war and discrimination. We must fight for the values that the founders of this country fought for so long ago. We must keep the American tradition going. We must continue to fight Trump’s orders, long after he gives up.