Trump’s ban rejigged

NEW TRAVEL ORDER IN LINE WITH COURT RULING

The American Civil Liberties Union and others are already lining up to challenge President Donald Trump’s revised ban on refugees and travellers from six mainly Muslim countries.

But can they succeed in overturning a measure that was deliberately crafted to remove the red flags raised by US courts? That may be more difficult.

This time there is unlikely to be a backdrop of airport chaos and mass detentions to help lawyers make the case that people’s rights are being trampled.

The White House has rolled out a process that aims to avoid a repeat of the confusion caused by its first travel ban, which was imposed with no notice and little preparation one week into Trump’s presidency.

The new order issued on Monday suspends US entry for all refugees for 120 days, and the issuing of new visas for nationals of Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Yemen and Sudan for 90 days.

Although similar to the first travel ban, it has been changed in significant ways to pass muster with the courts.

For one, the new restrictions do not go into effect until March 16, giving travellers 10 days to prepare for the changes.

Crucially, the new order exempts permanent US residents and visa holders, and allows for waivers on a case-by-case basis. It drops Iraq from the list of countries targeted by the visa ban.

There was the case of an Iranian baby who could not travel for specialised medical treatment in the United States. That could now be dealt with using a waiver.

But lawyers for the state of Hawaii on Tuesday informed courts there of their plan to file a challenge to the revised ban. Filed yesterday, it’s likely the first challenge to the tweaked ban. – AFP