In the four weeks that he's been in office, Donald Trump has experienced the most backlash over his "Muslim ban" executive order. After the ban was blocked by a federal judge and later an appeals court, the president is ready to go back to the drawing board.
Travel ban deva ju
Closing out his first week in the White House, President Donald Trump issued several executive orders, but none more controversial than the aforementioned "Muslim ban." The order in question filed a temporary travel ban on seven different countries in the Middle East, in addition to a permanent ban on the Syrian refugee program.
Within hours, protests took place across the country as Muslim travelers were being detained in various airports. The order was first blocked by a judge, and then finally denied in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this month. As reported by Associated Press, and later The Hill, on February 20, Trump is ready to try again.
According to the report by the AP, Donald Trump's revised "Muslim ban" is nearly identical to his original executive order, at least in some aspects. The seven countries originally listed, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Somalia, Yemen, Libya, and the Sudan, will all return to the list in the new order.
The big difference, however, is that the updated ban will not include those who have a proper visa, a green card, or hold duel citizenship, which was one of the major criticisms the first time around.
Another change during Trump's second go-round has to deal with the Syrian refugee program. If accepted, the revised ban will not instruct law enforcement to "single out and reject" refugees from Syria. The civil war in Syria has become one of the most talked about international issues, with many on the left advocating for an increase in refugees from the region, while more right-wing Americans want to close the borders to the Middle East due to the rise and spread of Islamic extremism into the West.
During his campaign for president, Donald Trump was an outspoken critic of allowing refugees into the United States.
Moving forward
In the report released by the Associated Press, it's expected that the White House will officially roll-out the new executive order at some point next week. Considering only subtle changes were made to the original draft, it's likely that a new round of backlash will follow, resulting in increased protests and demonstrations against Donald Trump and his agenda, which critics label "racist" and "Islamophobic."