As the first 100 days of President Donald Trump’s administration come to a close, Amnesty International has compiled a list of 100 ways the Trump administration has tried to threaten human rights in the USA and around the world – sometimes succeeding, and sometimes being blocked by a powerful and growing resistance movement.
“These first 100 days show how dangerous Trump’s agenda is, and they’re also a roadmap for how to stop it and protect human rights in the USA and around the world,” said Margaret Huang, executive director of Amnesty International USA.
These first 100 days show how dangerous Trump’s agenda is, and they’re also a roadmap for how to stop it and protect human rights in the U.S. and around the world.
Margaret Huang, executive director of Amnesty International USA
“When we sat down to document the first 100 days, it didn’t take long to identify 100 ways this administration has threatened people’s human rights. What’s incredible isn’t just all the ways the Trump administration has tried to deny people freedom, justice, and equality – but all the ways that the public has pushed back and refused to let it happen.”
Among the human rights threats during the first 100 days, Amnesty International lists:
- Abusive US-Mexico border enforcement practices that treat people like criminals when they come to the U.S. seeking asylum from horrific violence
- Extreme restrictions on women’s access to reproductive health care in the U.S. and around the world
- Repeal of protections for LGBT workers and transgender students
- Granting permission for the Dakota Access Pipeline to drill under the Missouri River north of Standing Rock, threatening the water source for the Standing Rock Sioux and other tribes
The list also includes examples of attempts by the administration to enact policies to violate human rights that have been blocked in part because of massive grassroots and political opposition, including:
- Multiple attempts to ban many people from Muslim-majority countries from entering the USA and shut down refugee admissions
- Attempt to bring back systematic torture and new detentions at Guantanamo Bay, through a draft executive order
- An attempt to take away health care coverage from millions of Americans
“Whether it’s closing our borders, turning our backs on refugees, trying to ban Muslims from the USA, or emboldening human rights abusers worldwide, President Trump seems intent on stoking the fires of conflict outside US borders while closing the door to those fleeing violence,” said Huang.
We have learned that when we come together and fight back, we can make a difference. The Trump administration’s ongoing threats to human rights remain – but so does the resolve to defeat them.
Margaret Huang
“We have learned that when we come together and fight back, we can make a difference. The Trump administration’s ongoing threats to human rights remain – but so does the resolve to defeat them.”