Trump signs new travel ban targeting six Muslim nations, leaves Iraq out

Team Udayavani, Mar 7, 2017, 9:59 AM IST

Washington (USA): US President Donald Trump today signed a revised executive order, temporarily halting entry to the US for people from six Muslim-majority nations who are seeking new visas while dropping Iraq from the list, after worldwide outrage over the controversial immigration policy.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer confirmed President Trump signed the order behind closed doors “this morning”.

The latest executive order specifies that a 90-day ban on people from Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen does not apply to those who already have valid visas.

Any individual who had a valid visa either on January 27, 2017 (prior to 5:00 PM) or holds a valid visa on the effective date of the Executive Order is not barred from entry into the US, according to the order.

“The 90-day period will allow for proper review and establishment of standards to prevent terrorist or criminal infiltration by foreign nationals,” it says.

The new order drops Iraq’s name from the list of targeted countries, saying Baghdad has agreed to increase cooperation with the US on the vetting of its citizens applying for a visa to travel to America.

“Iraqi citizens are not affected by the Executive Order,” says the order which will come into force on March 16.

The Refugee Admissions Program will also be temporarily suspended for the next 120 days while Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and interagency partners review screening procedures to ensure refugees admitted in the future do not pose a security risk to the US, the new order says.

FBI is currently investigating 300 individuals admitted to the US as refugees for potential terrorism related activities.

Officials hope that this time it will be a very orderly process and there would be no chaos at port of entry. Those people who are travelling on valid visas and arrive at a US port of entry will still be permitted to seek entry into the United States.

President Trump has also directed the State Department and the DHS to make recommendation of any country that could be included in the future suspension of entry into the US. 

Homeland Security Secretary John F Kelly Kelly said the executive order signed today will make America safer, and address long-overdue concerns about the security of our immigration system.

“We must undertake a rigorous review of our visa and refugee vetting programs to increase our confidence in the entry decisions we make for visitors and immigrants to the US. We cannot risk the prospect of malevolent actors using our immigration system to take American lives,” he said.

In the first 20 days, the DHS will perform a global, country-by-country review of the identity and security information that each country provides to the US to support US visa and other immigration benefit determinations.

Countries will then have 50 days to comply with requests from the US Government to update or improve the quality of the information they provide.

Stating that the US immigration system has been repeatedly exploited by terrorists and other malicious actors, the executive order says it will ensure that the US can conduct a thorough and comprehensive analysis of the national security risks posed from its immigration system.

Trump had signed an executive order on January 27 imposing an indefinite travel ban on Syrian refugees and a temporary curb on people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Yemen and Somalia – from entering the US for at least 90 days.

The move triggered worldwide outrage and widespread protests at home and abroad. Protests broke out in several US cities and thousands of people demonstrated at many airports.

There were chaos in the first days of its implementation, as people arriving at US airports from targeted countries were detained and sometimes sent back to where they came from.

More than 100 academics from Texas colleges and universities signed a petition against the travel ban.

A federal judge in Seattle suspended the order, and a federal appeals court in San Francisco refused to reinstate it, leading Trump administration to come up with this revised version.

Trump had criticised the court order suspending the ban as “a very bad decision, very bad for the safety and security of our country. The rollout was perfect.”

The new order is meant to address complaints raised by the federal judges that parts of the first version of the executive order were unconstitutional.

Iraq has agreed to timely return and repatriation of its nationals who are subject to removal.

Kelly said the executive order signed today is prospective in nature—applying only to foreign nationals outside of the United States who do not have a valid visa.

“It is important to note that nothing in this executive order affects current lawful permanent residents or persons with current authorisation to enter our country. If you have a current valid visa to travel, we welcome you. But unregulated, unvetted travel is not a universal privilege, especially when national security is at stake,” he added.