United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order to restart the refugee resettlement programme, which was suspended for 120 days as part of his travel ban on several Muslim-majority countries. But, the White House’s new order has imposed new restrictions on 11 nations that the Trump administration has called “high risk”, reported Reuters.
The order now has a new 90-day review period for the government to conduct an “in-depth threat assessment” of the 11 countries, according to documents accessed by Reuters.
While the administration has not disclosed the names of the countries, most of them are reportedly in the Middle East and Africa. The refugees from the 11 listed nations will be permitted on a case-by-case basis, according to The Guardian.
The travel ban
Trump took office in January with a goal of sharply cutting refugee admissions, in line with the promises he made during the 2016 election campaign. He issued temporary bans on refugees and travellers from several Muslim-majority countries, which were challenged in various courts.
Trump has insisted the ban is to protect the US from militancy, and thus urged to allow immigration officials to vet those entering the country more closely. But the move has been seen as part of one of Trump’s key presidential campaign promises – a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims” entering the US.
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