Iraq to be off Trump’s new travel ban order
CONTROL AGAIN New directive to have an implementation delay to limit the disruptions that had led to chaos at airports
President Donald Trump will remove Iraq from a list of countries targeted in a US travel ban when he signs a new executive order likely on Monday after his controversial first attempt was blocked in the courts, a White House source said.
The senior White House official said the new executive order would keep a 90-day ban on travel to the US by citizens of six Muslim-majority nations - Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Iraq was taken off the list of countries in the original order, issued on January 27, because the Iraqi government had imposed new vetting procedures such as heightened visa screening and data sharing, and because of its work with the US in countering Islamic State militants, the official said.
While the first order imposed restrictions immediately, the new directive will have an implementation delay to limit the disruptions that created havoc for some travellers, the White House official said.
The new order will take effect on March 16, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Monday. Thousands of Iraqis have fought alongside US troops for years or worked as translators since the US-led invasion in 2003. Many have resettled in the US after being threatened for working with US troops.
The White House official said the new executive order also ensures that tens of thousands of legal permanent residents in the US - or green card holders - from the listed countries would not be affected by the travel ban.
More than two dozen lawsuits were filed in US courts against the original travel ban, and the state of Washington succeeded in having it suspended by the 9th Circuit court of Appeals.
Trump publicly criticised judges who ruled against him and vowed to fight the case in the Supreme Court, but then decided to draw up a new order with changes aimed at making it easier to defend in the courts.