United States President Donald Trump on Monday signed a new executive order restricting the entry of people into the country, Reuters reported. The order follows a stay imposed on his earlier ban on the entry of people from seven Muslim-majority countries. The 90-day ban on the entry of people from Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen would be effective from March 16.
The new order will exclude Iraq from the list of seven, White House adviser Kellyanne Conway told Fox News channel. The decision to remove Iraq from the list was “based on their enhanced screening and reporting measures,” Conway had said.
Conway had said the order was more specific about the restrictions and the people that are affected by it. “If you have travel documents, if you actually have a visa, if you are a legal permanent resident, you are not covered under this particular executive action,” Conway had said.
Trump’s Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the order was a “vital measure” for national security. Tillerson said refugees will be admitted into the country when “it is determined that they do not pose a risk.”
While the US president has defended the first order and repeatedly said it was “not a Muslim ban”, the restrictions brought in by his move wreaked havoc on immigrant families, especially those with valid visas. Protests were launched across the country, including at airports, against the travel ban. His executive order had been criticised by several quarters, including politicians, activists, immigration advocates and even United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
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