Trump has signed a new Executive Order to bar Muslims from entering the United States. The new Trump travel ban stops immigration from six Muslim-majority countries. The new list drops Iraq’s name. Trump Administration had included Iraq’s name in the previous Executive Order banning seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States.
Why the new Trump travel ban?
Donald Trump’s administration tried to assert an Executive Order previously banning seven Muslim-majority countries from coming to the United States. However, this ban did not stay in place for long as the United States courts intervened.
Donald Trump and his team had to come up with a new order as the language drafted in the first one sounded unpleasing to many. The previous ban permanently barred Syrian refugees from coming to the United States. It also included words about prioritizing those refugees which were considered minorities in their countries.
This last provision indicated Trump administration’s inclination towards welcoming Christian refugees instead of Muslims. This order created a problem of discriminating against refugees based on their religion.
Here is what Attorney General Jeff Sessions had to say about the travel ban.
“We cannot compromise our nation’s security by allowing visitors entry when their governments are unable or unwilling to provide the information we need to vet them responsibly, or when those governments actively support terrorism.”
The new ban will block travelers from Syria, Libya, Iran, Somalia, Yemen, and Sudan from traveling to the United States of America for 90 days. The order also includes suspension of refugees from entering the US for 120 days. The Trump Administration says that this temporary ban would help it establish a vetting program, already considered very stringent.
The lobbying efforts from Iraqi Government are believed to be behind the dropping of Iraq’s name from this list. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that US government removed Iraq’s name after an intense review by the Trump Administration.
The previous ban as per legal experts was prone to attacks from the judiciary, raising serious questions about the capacity of the Trump administration. The new Trump travel ban is aimed to overcome those legality loopholes found in the earlier version of the Executive Order.
Rights Group Slam New Trump Travel Ban
Many of the civil rights groups in the US have called the new Trump travel ban as “Muslim ban.” They are of the view that Trump Administration cleverly put aside an order which was indefensible and came up with a new one.
There is a strong belief among the civil rights group the next Executive order by Trump administration will have the same fate. They also say that banning Muslims is not the solution to the terrorist threats faced by the United States.
