Syrian Christians will get priority

Green card-holders being advised to consult lawyers before leaving US

Washington, Jan. 28: President Donald Trump on Friday put a four-month hold on allowing refugees into the United States and temporarily barred travelers from Syria and six other Muslimmajority countries, saying the moves would help protect Americans from terrorist attacks.

The order seeks to prioritise refugees fleeing religious persecution, a move President Donald Trump separately said was aimed at helping Christians in Syria. That led some legal experts to question whether the order was constitutional.

One group said that it would announce a court challenge on Monday. The Council on American-Islamic Relations said the executive order targets Muslims because of their faith, contravening the U.S. Constitutional right to freedom of religion.

“President Trump has cloaked what is a discriminatory ban against nationals of Muslim countries under the banner of national security,” said Greg Chen of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

Mr Trump has long pledged to take this kind of action, making it a prominent feature of his campaign for the Nov. 8 election, but people who work with Muslim immigrants and refugees were scrambling to determine the scope of the order.

Even legal permanent residents — people with “green cards” allowing them to live and work in the United States — were being advised to consult immigration lawyers before traveling outside the country, or trying to return, said Muslim Advocates, a civil rights group in Washington.

Mr Trump’s order also suspends the Syrian refugee programme until further notice, and will eventually give priority to minority religious groups fleeing persecution. — Reuters