Foreign
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NEWLY sworn-in United States President Donald Trump has decided to ban citizens of seven Muslim-dominated countries – three of them from Africa – from entering the U.S. for an initial period of 30 days, reports in the U.S. media said. The reports quoted by the Voice of America (VOA) listed the affected countries as Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
The reports said that this would be a follow-up to a series of executive orders rolled out this week by Mr. Trump aimed at stepping up enforcement of immigration laws.
“If signed as is, the presidential edict would gut the U.S. refugee program and halt entry to the U.S. for nationals from seven countries,” VOA said, quoting reports in several media outlets, including The Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times.
It said that the expected changes in U.S. immigration laws would affect immigrants, visitors and refugees from majority-Muslim countries, with the aim – as the title of the executive order describes – of “Protecting the Nation from Terrorist Attacks by Foreign Nationals.”
A version of the draft published online by the Times indicates the executive order, which the White House indicated might be signed this week, intends to:
- Suspend immigration and travel to the U.S. for nationals of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen for 30 days.
- Institute a 120-day ban on refugee admissions, but allow certain exemptions for refugees of minority religions in their home countries.
- Cut the refugee ceiling for the current fiscal year from 110,000 to 50,000.
- Ban Syrian refugees indefinitely.
- Create “safe zones” in Syria and the “surrounding region” for displaced persons and refugees.
- Implement a biometric entry-exit system for travelers to the U.S.
- Suspend the Visa Interview Waiver Program and require in-person interviews for all non-immigrant visas.
- Require the Department of Homeland Security to publish a report every six months on “foreign-born individuals” who have been “radicalized,” commit acts of gender-based violence, or are charged with or convicted of terror-related offenses.
VOA reported that President Trump was asked about reports of the proposed changes in an interview with ABC News on Wednesday and he replied: “Our country has enough problems without allowing people to come in who, in many cases or in some cases, are looking to do tremendous destruction.”
Source: News Express
— Feb 6, 2017 @ 01:00 GMT
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