On Friday, the US President Donald Trump signed a new executive order. This order suspends the US Refugee Program. The order also imposes tougher new controls on travelers to the US coming from seven Muslim countries.
The so-called promise of making the US safe from “radical Islamic terrorists” has become a nightmare for the human rights groups.
After the signing Trump said,
“This is big stuff,” “Protection of the nation from foreign terrorist entry into the United State.”
The US Refugee Program
After signing of this executive order, Trump has successfully suspended the entire US refugee resettlement program for the next 120 days after which the tough new vetting rules set by Donald Trump’s administration would apply.
The Rational Behind Stopping Refugees
The big rational given behind the banning of Muslims from entering the US is to make the country safe. The new refugees entering the country are not able to pose a threat to the country’s security. Another aim is to protect welfare of the US citizens, which according to the Trump administration comes under attack because of the refugees.
Status of Syrian Refugees
This order specifically bans the Syrian refugees from entering the US for an indefinite amount of time.
The Seven Countries Barred from entering the US
The names of the seven Muslim countries where travelers would have to go extreme vetting include Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen.
What Does Extreme Vetting Actually Mean?
The new policy would try to establish if the individual applying for the US visa has the same values as cherished by the country. This means acceptability towards gay rights, gender equality, and religious freedoms.
One adviser explained compatibility of the beliefs of the travelers to the US in this words.
We have no reason to bring someone into our country who is going to harbor that hostility. We want to bring in people who are reformers or who support moderation or who embrace or expand pluralistic ideas.
How will this impact the US?
Well, this would obviously impact the US and its foreign policy. It would fan the anti-US sentiment which pervades throughout the different Muslim countries and alienate them further. Among other things, powerful countries like Russia and China can take advantage of this divide and assume the role which the US used to play.
