Trump weighs revising travel ban,
PALM BEACH, Florida/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – US President Donald Trump is considering issuing a new executive order banning citizens of certain countries traveling to the United States after his initial attempt to clamp down on immigration and refugees screeched to a halt amid political and judicial chaos.
Trump announced the possibility of a “brand new order” that could be issued as soon as Monday or Tuesday, in a surprise talk with reporters aboard Air Force One late on Friday, as he and the Japanese premier headed to his estate in Florida for the weekend.
His signaling of a possible new tack came a day after an appeals court in San Francisco upheld a court ruling last week that temporarily suspended Trump’s original January 27 executive order banning travel from seven majority-Muslim countries.
Trump gave no details of any new ban he is considering. He might rewrite the original order to explicitly exclude green card holders or permanent residents, said a congressional aide familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified. Doing that could alleviate some concerns expressed by the courts.
A new order, however, could allow Trump’s critics to declare victory by arguing he was forced to change course in his first major policy as president.
Whether or not Trump issues a new order, his administration may still pursue its case in the courts over the original order, which is still being reviewed by the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals.
White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus told reporters late on Friday that taking the case to the Supreme Court remained a possibility, after another White House official said earlier in the day the administration was not planning to escalate the dispute.
“Every single court option is on the table, including an appeal of the 9th Circuit decision on the TRO [temporary restraining order] to the Supreme Court, including fighting out this case on the merits,” Priebus said. “And, in addition to that, we’re pursuing executive orders right now that we expect to be enacted soon that will further protect Americans from terrorism.”
Trump’s original order, which he called a national security measure meant to head off attacks by Islamist terrorists, barred people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering for 90 days and all refugees for 120 days, except refugees from Syria, who were banned indefinitely.
A federal judge in Seattle suspended the order last Friday after its legality was challenged by Washington state. That ruling was upheld by an appeals court in San Francisco on Thursday, raising questions about Trump’s next step.
Should Trump issue a new order, he is still likely to face legal challenges, as opponents could ask the court to let them amend their complaints, said Alexander Reinert, a professor at Yeshiva University’s Cardozo School of Law in New York.