Fact Check

Did Thousands of Muslims Leave the United States After Trump's Election?

We found no evidence that President Trump's election has sparked a massive wave of self-deportation by Muslims.

Published Feb. 9, 2017

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Claim:
Thousands of Muslims voluntarily left the United States after Donald Trump was elected president.
What's True

Some hundreds of Middle Eastern refugees admitted to the U.S. have continued on to Canada since the election over fears their legal status might change.

What's False

We found no evidence that thousands of established Muslim residents of Michigan (or elsewhere in the U.S.) have left the country since the 2016 election.

In early 2017, multiple web sites posted articles claiming that thousands of Muslims were "deporting themselves" from the United States due to the recent election of Donald Trump as president:

So this is happening.

Apparently, thousands of Muslims are deporting themselves because Donald Trump is elected as a president.

THE MUSLIM RESIDENTS IN DEARBORN, MICHIGAN SAY THAT TRUMP WOULD BE A DANGER TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. THE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE HAS SAID THAT “ISLAM HATES US” AND THOSE RESIDENTS DON’T AGREE WITH THAT. SOME HAVE SAID THAT THEY WILL LEAVE FOR CANADA IF TRUMP BECOMES PRESIDENT. “HIS GOAL IS TO UPSET AND ANGER PEOPLE.” THE ONLY REASON THAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO GET UPSET ABOUT THIS IS BECAUSE THEY ARE FACTS! IF THE COMEBACK YOU HAVE AGAINST A FACT IS THAT IT SHOULDN’T BE STATED BECAUSE IT’S GOING “UPSET AND ANGER PEOPLE” THEN YOU NEED A REALITY CHECK.

IT ACTUALLY SEEMS IRONIC THAT THE MUSLIMS OF THIS CITY ARE THREATENING TO LEAVE THE UNITED STATES IF TRUMP WINS THE PRESIDENCY. SO YOU KNOW WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE RIGHT? THIS ARTICLE NEEDS TO BE SHARED TO SHOW AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE THIS “THREAT” FROM THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY IN DEARBORN.

Although all of these articles were published under sensationalized titles such as "THOUSANDS OF MUSLIMS ARE LEAVING USA BECAUSE TRUMP HAS WON," none of them presented any evidence documenting what their headlines proclaimed.

As late as 4 February 2017, genuine news reports suggested only that some unspecified number of Muslims might be pondering leaving the United States due to the uncertainty caused by President Trump's (since suspended) executive order temporarily limiting entry to the U.S. by nationals from seven predominantly Muslim countries:

The spiritual leader to hundreds of practicing Muslims in Las Vegas says he knows some faithful who may leave the country due to political uncertainty.

Fateen Seifullah is the imam at Masjid As Sabur, a mosque near Washington and D Street.
“Some of them aren’t sure,” Seifullah said. “Should they migrate? Should they leave and go someplace else?”

Seifullah spoke one week after the executive order that snared some travelers from mostly Muslim countries. A close friend of his was delayed in Boston.

“He said, ‘I feel the effects of it already,’ because it was one of the first times he’s ever been singled out for additional checks,” Seifullah says.

There have been some reports of hundreds (not thousands) of Muslims trying to cross into Canada from the U.S. since the election, but those persons were refugees from the Middle East who were not yet settled in the U.S. and feared their legal status might change, not members of the Muslim community already permanently residing in Michigan (or elsewhere in the U.S.).

In fact. President Trump's executive order may have had the opposite effect, prompting some Muslims who might have otherwise left the United States to remain here:

Most people think of President Trump’s recent travel restrictions in terms of how they affect immigrants trying to enter the U.S. But the executive order stands to impact the lives of legal U.S. residents, some of whom are canceling travel plans out of fear that they won't be able to return to the U.S.

Even some green-card holders, who were exempted from Trump's travel ban after widespread protests, are nervous about their ability to get back into the U.S. if they leave the country.

We found no verifiable reports documenting that thousands of Muslims had voluntarily left the U.S. immediately after, and specifically because of, the election of Donald Trump.

UPDATES: 18 February 2017 -- Page updated to modify status and include mention of some refugees moving along to Canada.

Sources

Fiegener, Craig.   "Local Imam Expects Some Muslims to Leave U.S. Because of Political Uncertainty."     KSNV-TV [Las Vegas].   4 February 2017.

Alter, Charlotte.   "Some Green-Card Holders Fear Leaving the U.S. Under Trump’s Travel Ban."     Time.   2 February 2017.

Dan Evon is a former writer for Snopes.

David Mikkelson founded the site now known as snopes.com back in 1994.