In an attempt to keep “radical Islamic terrorists” out of the U.S., President Donald Trump has issued an executive order barring people from seven majority-Muslim countries, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, and Yemen from getting visas and coming to the U.S. The ban will stop nationals of these countries from coming to the U.S. for the next 90 days.
This executive order will also stop Syrian refugees from seeking entry into the U.S. Many more countries are also likely to be added to this list in the near future. The President has issued this order to keep Americans safe and to keep terrorists out of the country.
Around 281 million people from the above mentioned countries will now not be able to gain entry into the U.S. for at least 90 days. However, this order will not stop U.S. citizens from these countries from getting back to the U.S.
By issuing an executive order, Trump has also stopped entry of all refugees to the U.S. for four months. During this time, the President’s secretary will conduct a review of the refugee screening process and develop a stricter screening system. He has also reset the refugee quota from 110,000 to 50,000.
During the ban, the U.S. may admit certain refugees claiming religious persecution. According to him, refugees must be prioritized based on religious persecution. More priority will be given to individuals whose religions are minority religions in their respective countries. President Trump says he will prioritize Christian refugees over Muslims. U.S. will open its doors to Christian refugees fleeing Muslim-majority countries where they are being treated horribly but not to Muslims from those countries.
The President’s orders also require the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), directors of FBI and the national intelligence to come up with new screening procedures that would stop terrorists from getting U.S. visas. Trump says that the U.S. should not admit people who bear a hostile attitude towards the country and those who do not support America’s constitution.
As soon as the executive order was issued, most of the airlines stopped people from the above mentioned countries from boarding flights. Likewise, DHS has also vowed to remain in compliance with the President’s orders. The agency said that the three month ban will be applied to all Muslim-majority countries including Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen.