We need them. They need us.

We need immigrants and they need us.

Many communities in our nation suffer greatly because of doctor shortages. In fact, New Mexico is among one of the most affected states. Approximately 20-25% of Family Physicians are graduates from outside of the United States. Our healthcare system and our country depend greatly on the contributions of immigrants and refugees. Clinics, hospitals and ultimately patients suffer with bans such as Trump's. To be honest, the world suffers.

Unfortunately, many people have a negative views of Muslim men and women. The media is in part culpable, because the portrayal of Muslims is predominantly negative and almost always weaves in terrorism. I'm hoping Trump supporters and their distaste for the media can at least agree with this fact. I wish everyone had the opportunity to meet the kind, loving and devoted immigrant and refugee people who I've had the opportunity to meet. I am honored to have studied with and worked alongside many Iranian and Iraqi individuals throughout various portions of my medical training. I wish everyone had a more realistic idea of the people coming to our country seeking opportunity. Perhaps your fear of the unknown and your hatred for an entire population would dwindle.

People claim that this ban is similar to the actions of previous presidents. First, we must recognize how much the vetting process has improved and second, we need not forget that former presidents were reacting to particular events. In this case, there was no acute threat requiring us to combat. It is truly out of the blue and excessively harsh. Some people claim it is not a Muslim ban, but all seven countries are comprised mostly of Muslims. Plus the ban's preference for religious minorities (i.e. Not Muslims) further suggests otherwise. Some people have even mocked our intelligence for not recognizing the safety that this ban brings- this is where I challenge you to truly study the evidence. These countries have not produced any terrorists since at least 9/11. Our vetting of visa holders and refugees is already very rigorous and working tremendously well. And finally, we must realize we are incredibly blessed to live in a country where the chance of dying at the hands of a foreign born terrorist is 0.00003%.

So if your priority is a safer America, then you need to consider the true threats. Our efforts are needed elsewhere. We need better access to healthcare, since lack of healthcare claims 45,000 lives annually. We need better gun control, since gun violence has already claimed over 1300 lives in 2017, 53 of which were children. We need access to a solid education, because low educational attainment is associated with 4 times higher mortality rate compared to individuals with a high school diploma. And we need access to healthy foods, clean air and recreational space. Strokes, lung disease, Diabetes, kidney disease and cancer are among the leading causes of death in Americans. These disease are directly associated to poor diets, lack of exercise and exposure to environmental toxins. Yes, we need a safer America. Yes, there is a lot of work to be done and many areas for improvement, but immigration is not one.