A draft of President Donald Trump’s revised immigration ban targets the same seven countries listed in his original executive order but exempts travellers who already have a visa to travel to the U.S., even if they haven’t used it yet.
A senior administration official said the order, which Mr. Trump revised after federal courts held up his original immigration and refugee ban, will target only those same seven Muslim-majority countries — Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan and Libya.
The official said green card holders and dual citizens of the U.S. and any of the seven countries are exempt. The new draft also no longer directs authorities to single out and reject Syrian refugees when processing new visa applications.
ADVERTISEMENT
The official said the draft is subject to change ahead of its signing, which Mr. Trump has said could come sometime this week. Asked about the revised order, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the document circulating was a draft and that a final version should be released soon. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment.
The Wall Street Journal also reported that the current draft of the revised order focused on the seven countries but excluded those with green cards.
Mr. Trump’s original executive order triggered chaos at airports around the world, as travelers were detained when the order rapidly went into effect, inluding U.S. permanent residents known as green card holders. Attorneys provided legal assistance to those held and protesters descended on the airports as news of the order’s implementation spread. In its original form, the order temporarily suspended all travel to the U.S. for citizens of those seven Muslim-majority countries for 90 days.
ADVERTISEMENT