U.S. tempers part of Trump travel ban amid big protests, criticism
WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - President Donald Trump’s administration yesterday tempered a key element of his move to ban entry of refugees and people from seven Muslim-majority countries in the face of mounting criticism even from some prominent Republicans and protests that drew tens of thousands in major American cities.
Trump signed the directive on Friday, but the policy appeared to be evolving on the fly. Democrats and a growing number of Republicans assailed the move and foreign leaders condemned it amid court challenges and tumult at U.S. airports.
The president’s critics have said his action violated U.S. law and the U.S. Constitution. In a fresh defense of the action yesterday, Trump said his directive was “not about religion” but keeping America safe.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said in a statement that people from the seven countries who hold so-called green cards as lawful permanent U.S. residents would not be blocked from returning to the United States from overseas, as some had been following the directive.
In his statement, Kelly said: “I hereby deem the entry of lawful permanent residents to be in the national interest.”
Outside the White House, where some viewing stands from Trump’s Jan. 20 inaugural parade still stood, several thousand protesters denounced him, carrying signs such as “Deport Trump” and “Fear is a terrible thing for a nation’s soul.” Protests also were staged in cities and airports in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Houston, Dallas and elsewhere.
The Republican president on Friday put a fourmonth hold on allowing refugees into the country, an indefinite ban on refugees from Syria and a three-month bar on citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
Border and customs officials struggled to put Trump’s directive into practice. Confusion persisted over details of implementation, in particular for the people who hold green cards.
Senator Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a Trump supporter, said the president’s order had been poorly implemented, particularly for green card holders.
“The administration should immediately make appropriate revisions, and it is my hope that following a thorough review and implementation of security enhancements that many of these programs will be improved and reinstated,” Corker said.
Trump defended action.
“To be clear, this is not a Muslim ban, as the media is falsely reporting,” Trump said in a statement yesterday. “This is not about religion - this is about terror and keeping our country safe. There are over 40 different countries worldwide that are majority Muslim that are not affected by this order.”
He added: “We will again be issuing visas to all countries once we are sure we have reviewed and implemented the most secure policies over the next 90 days.”
The department on Saturday said Trump’s action did apply to people with green cards who were returning to the United States from the seven nations.
A White House official said later on Saturday that green card holders who had left the United States and wanted to return would have to visit a U.S. embassy or consulate to undergo additional screening.
White House Chief of his Staff Reince Priebus went on the Sunday morning news programmes to say those people would not be blocked.
“As far as green card holders moving forward, it doesn’t affect them,” Priebus said on the NBC program “Meet the Press.”
Priebus added that these green card holders would be subjected to “more questioning” by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents when they try to reenter the United States “until a better programme is put in place over the next several months.”
In an apparent indication that Kelly’s instructions were being implemented, some green card holders arriving in the United States said they had no trouble clearing customs.
Mahdi Tajsarvi, an engineer who lives in Virginia, said he and his wife, Arezoo Hosseini, both Iranian citizens with U.S. green cards, were asked a few routine questions by authorities at Dulles International Airport outside Washington last evening and let through within a few minutes.
MORE NATIONS MAY BE ADDED Priebus also said Customs and Border Patrol agents would have “discretionary authority” when they encountered someone arriving who they suspect “is up to no good” from certain nations. Asked why Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Egypt were not included on Trump’s list, Priebus said that “perhaps other countries needed to be added to an executive order going forward.”
U.S. judges in at least five states blocked federal authorities from enforcing Trump’s directive, but lawyers representing people covered by the order said some authorities were unwilling on Sunday to follow the judges’ rulings.
U.S. Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham, prominent Republican foreign policy voices, said in a joint statement that Trump’s order may do more to help recruit terrorists than improve U.S. security.
“Ultimately, we fear this executive order will become a self-inflicted wound in the fight against terrorism,” they said, adding the United States should not stop green card holders “from returning to the country they call home.”
“This executive order sends a signal, intended or not, that America does not want Muslims coming into our country,” the added.
Trump blasted the two senators in a Twitter statement, calling them “sadly weak on immigration.”
In another Twitter message earlier yesterday, Trump said the United States needed “strong borders and extreme vetting, NOW.”
“Christians in the Middle-East have been executed in large numbers. We cannot allow this horror to continue!” added Trump, who successfully tapped Americans’ fear of attacks during his election campaign and has presented the policy as a way to protect the country from the threat of Islamist militants. Trump’s tweet did not mention that many more Muslims have been killed in the bloody Syrian civil war and other violence in the targeted countries.
Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the Republican-led U.S. Senate, seized on the mixed messages from Trump’s administration after Priebus’ comments.
“We need clarification. But it shows you, above the bad nature, the horrible nature of these (orders), the incompetence of this administration,” Schumer told a news conference. “One hand doesn’t know what the other is doing.”
Briefing reporters at the White House on condition of anonymity, a U.S. administration official rejected criticism of the way Trump’s plan had been carried out, saying: “So it really is a massive success story in terms of implementation on every single level.”
Protesters had a different view.
“I think banning refugees, banning immigrants, banning religions like Islam or any other religion, is un-American,” said Will Turner, 42, draped in a U.S. flag among a crowd of several thousand people in front of the White House chanting: “No hate, no fear, refugees are welcome here.”
Condemnation of Trump’s action poured in from abroad, including from traditional allies of the United States. SANAA/WASHINGTON, (Reuters) - A U.S. commando died and three others were wounded carrying out a deadly dawn raid on the al Qaeda militant group in southern Yemen yesterday, in the first military operation authorized by President Donald Trump.
The U.S. military said it killed 14 militants in a raid on a powerful al Qaeda branch that has been a frequent target of U.S. drone strikes. Medics at the scene, however, said around 30 people, including 10 women and children, were killed.
Two more U.S. servicemen were injured when an American military aircraft was sent to evacuate the wounded commandos but came under fire and had to be “intentionally destroyed in place,” the Pentagon said.
The new U.S. president called the operation a success and said intelligence gathered during the operation would help the United States fight terrorism.
“Americans are saddened this morning with news that a life of a heroic service member has been taken in our fight against the evil of radical Islamic terrorism,” Trump said in a statement.