Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
New ban on travel
Iraq removed from Muslim-majority nations affected
The president signs a revised order restricting entry into the U.S. for some nationalities.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump suspended residents from six Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States and blocked refugees from around the world, retooling an executive order issued five weeks ago that stoked chaos at airports, international condemnation and a rebuke in the federal courts.
Monday’s directive marked the latest iteration of Trump’s long-stated argument that the immigration system is failing to protect the nation from the threat of terrorism and that previous leaders had been too timid to put American interests ahead of global opinion.
The new order, while temporary, lays the foundation for further restrictions on travel and asylum as Trump opens another front in his effort to tighten the nation’s borders.
“Like every nation, the United States has a right to control who enters our country and to keep out those who would do us harm,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said during an announcement at the Department of Homeland Security alongside Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly.
Opponents argued that even if Trump is not banning all Muslims, his narrower measure still amounts to religious profiling, and sends a message that undermines American values and helps terrorist organizations recruit more militants. They say Trump’s travel suspension and refugee ban are too broad and arbitrary to enhance safety, leaving out, for example, the countries that spawned the Sept. 11 attackers.
“A watered down ban is still a ban,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. “Despite the Administration’s changes, this dangerous executive order makes us less safe, not more; it is mean-spirited, and unAmerican. It must be repealed.”
The ban, which takes effect March 16, halts travel for 90 days for residents of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. The refugee suspension will last 120 days.
Iraq, whose citizens and nationals had been on the earlier list of banned travelers, was removed after officials there agreed to accept all Iraqi citizens being deported from the U.S.
Trump had faced criticism from military leaders for initially banning Iraqis who put their lives at risk to help U.S. troops. The Iraqi government had also threatened retaliation which could have blocked U.S. aid workers, journalists and contractors from working in the country.
The new ban also removes the indefinite suspension on accepting refugees from Syria as well as language intended to help Christian refugees and other religious minorities facing persecution in winning asylum.
Those were among several changes to the order designed to insulate it from court challenges that blocked the first one only days after it was issued.
The new order also leaves more time for agencies to implement it in hopes of alleviating the confusion that accompanied the original order, which was issued a week after Trump took office, with little consultation from top agency officials.
“There should be no surprises — whether it’s in the media or on Capitol Hill,” Kelly said.
The new ban clarifies that permanent residents, dual citizens and those holding valid visas of all kinds — including for study, travel, and work — will be allowed to enter the country or remain here, and it restores visas for those who had them revoked after the first travel ban was imposed.
Trump signed the order privately Monday morning with little fanfare, and the White House announced it only afterward.
Many in Trump’s circle are eager to renew debate over the ban, which has been popular among Trump’s supporters, after several days of questions about the White House’s ties to Russia and a weekend in which Trump made unsubstantiated charges that President Barack Obama was tapping his phones during the presidential campaign.
Several Republican leaders in Congress praised the measure, though some emphasized its limited scope. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., called the travel ban “just a short pause in accepting immigrants from these countries.”
“This is a common-sense step that the American people overwhelmingly support,” said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
The order retains language that slows the entry of asylum seekers dramatically, capping the program at 50,000 refugees for the year, compared with 110,000 allowed under policies of the Obama administration.
The U.S. has already accepted 35,000 refugees this fiscal year, which started Oct. 1, meaning only 15,000 more would be allowed in over the next seven months.