The revised executive order has finally come from President Donald Trump and it covers immigration and travel from six Muslim countries which are Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. Iraq has been exempted because it is an ally of the United States in its fight against the ISIS as reported in FoxNews.
The new order puts a brake on the entry of refugees for a period of 120 days but an indefinite travel ban on Syrian refugees is withdrawn. Under the terms of the new order, citizens of the six countries who failed to obtain a visa before Jan.
27 will remain barred for a period of 90 days.
Travel ban will ensure safety of Americans
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said that President Trump wants to ensure the safety of Americans and the travel ban is meant to eliminate vulnerabilities that could be exploited by radical Islamic terrorists. The new order is not applicable to green card holders and omits any person who has a valid travel document, a visa and is a legal permanent resident of the United States.
Another action taken by this executive order is to put a ceiling on the number of refugees that the United States would accept annually – it was 110,000 during the previous regime of Barack Obama and is now reduced to 50,000.
Moreover, the new order also indicates different categories of people who are eligible to enter the United States for activities related to business or medical needs.
The new order was released by Tillerson, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly in an event where reporters were present. Incidentally, the earlier version was released during a presidential signing ceremony at the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes.
How effective will be the ban?
In the opinion of a Democrat Senator, the new executive order may face hurdles similar to the earlier one and must be repealed. The director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project feels that it is a case of religious discrimination and may have serious repercussions.
The worries of President Donald Trump are understandable.
He wants to prevent entry of undesirable elements into America because terrorism is an evil that is gradually going out of control and restrictions are necessary. It is to be seen whether the revised travel ban will serve the purpose.
