White House reverses course on green card holders

Trump aides said that citizens of those countries who hold permanent U.S. residency “green cards” will not be barred from re-entering the country

January 30, 2017 02:37 am | Updated 11:22 pm IST - WASHINGTON

Picture shows a protester at Copley Square in Boston on Sunday, the day after U.S. President Trump signed an executive order that halted refugees and legal permanent residents with green cards from seven countries from entering the United States. Photo: AFP

Picture shows a protester at Copley Square in Boston on Sunday, the day after U.S. President Trump signed an executive order that halted refugees and legal permanent residents with green cards from seven countries from entering the United States. Photo: AFP

The White House on Sunday tried to tamp down concerns about President Donald Trump’s sweeping immigration order in the face of widespread protests, as some Republicans in Congress urged him to proceed with caution in the face of legal pushback. Top congressional Republicans, however, remain largely behind the new president.

During a round of Sunday show interviews, Trump’s aides stressed that just a small portion of travellers had been affected by the order, which temporarily bars the citizens of seven majority Muslim nations from entering the country. The aides also reversed course and said that citizens of those countries who hold permanent U.S. residency “green cards” will not be barred from re-entering the country, as officials had previously said.

“I can’t imagine too many people out there watching this right now think it’s unreasonable to ask a few more questions from someone traveling in and out of Libya and Yemen before being let loose in the United States,” insisted Trump’s chief of staff Reince Priebus. “And that’s all this is.”

The changes, said White House adviser Kellyanne Conway, are “a small price to pay” to keep the nation safe.

But others see the order as ill-conceived and rushed.

The order, which also suspends refugee admissions for 120 days and indefinitely bars the processing of refugees from Syria, has sparked widespread protests and denunciations from Democrats and a handful of Republicans. Many have accused the administration of rushing to implement the changes, resulting in panic and confusion at the nation’s airports.

“You have an extreme vetting proposal that didn’t get the vetting it should have had,” said Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, who urged the new president to “slow down” and work with lawmakers on how best to tighten screening for foreigners who enter the United States.

“In my view, we ought to all take a deep breath and come up with something that makes sense for our national security” and reflects the fact that “America’s always been a welcoming home for refugees and immigrants,” he said.

Legal rights violated

The comments came the morning after a federal judge in New York issued an emergency order temporarily barring the U.S. from deporting people from the seven majority Muslim nations subject to Trump’s travel ban. The judge said travelers who had been detained had a strong argument that their legal rights had been violated.

The order barred U.S. border agents from removing anyone who arrived in the U.S. with a valid visa from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. It also covered anyone with an approved refugee application.

The Department of Homeland Security, however, said Sunday said the court ruling would not affect the overall implementation of the White House order.

“President Trump’s executive orders remain in place prohibited travel will remain prohibited, and the U.S. government retains its right to revoke visas at any time if required for national security or public safety,” the department said in a statement.

Top congressional Republicans, meanwhile, were backing Trump despite concerns raised Sunday from a handful of GOP lawmakers.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R—Ky., said he supports more stringent screening mechanisms, though he cautioned that Muslims are some of the country’s “best sources in the war against terror.”

“I think it’s a good idea to tighten the vetting process But I also think it’s important to remember that some of our best sources in the war against radical Islamic terrorism are Muslims, both in this country and overseas,” he said.

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