The morning after President Trump signed the executive order putting a temporary hold to immigration and refugees from those 7 countries I had an interesting conversation with a young man at the bus stop. He is in his mid-20s and from what little we have talked about political things, he leans towards the liberal side.

That morning he shows up ranting about how Trump had banned all Muslims from entering the country and that “we should just tear down the Statue of Liberty.” First I told him that what he was saying was not true, that there was no ban but a temporary hold for 3 months or 90 days. He looked at me as if he were now confused so I asked him if he knew how many majority Muslim countries were affected by this order. He said he did not so I let him know only 7 countries were affected. Next I asked him if he know how many majority Muslim countries were not affected by the temporary hold and he said no. I told him that there were over 50 majority Muslim countries that were not affected. As we spoke he is getting very interested so I went on and told him that even with the order President Trump had allowed the Secretary of the DHS to review people and allow them in and that since the order was signed almost 900 people from these countries had been allowed into, or back into, the US. He asked if I was sure to which I told him I was. Next he says, “if what you are saying is true, why are people making such a big deal about this?” I told him I could not answer that question for him but it was a great question to look into.

The next day when the young man came to the bus stop he tells me that he had checked what I had told him the day before (I was actually very encouraged that he “fact checked” me!) and it was all true! He is not a Trump supporter, but he told me that in this case the news that he listens to “was not reporting facts but making things up to make something that is not bad seem bad.”

I think his eyes are opening.