Trump’s new entry ban takes effect from March 16

White House counselor Kellyanne Conway. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Donald Trump’s new president orders will stop the issuing of new visas to citizens from six predominantly Muslim countries, according to US media.

This means that those who already have a visa to the United States will continue to be let into the country, according to news agency APs information.

Trump’s revised entry ban covers the same countries as before, except Iraq. This probably means that new visa applications from nationals of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen will be rejected.

The revised order is far less extensive than the original entry ban, and will last for 90 days initially, writes AP.

Trump signed the presidential order on Monday, but it will not come into force until March 16, said the White House adviser Kelly Anne Conway in an interview with television channel Fox News.

Exception
The first version of the disputed entry ban came into force shortly after Trump entered the White House. This meant that the US borders were temporarily closed to all refugees and citizens from seven predominantly Muslim countries.

Conway confirms in a TV interview that people who already have a valid residence permit and visa, will be expressly excluded from Trumps revised presidential order. She suggested further that Iraq will no longer be among the blacklisted countries.

– Iraq is no longer on the list, based on their enhanced screening and reporting measures, said Conway.

Pressure from Pentagon
According to US media, it was pressure from the Pentagon and the State Department that led to Iraq being removed from the list. The argument is the country’s crucial role in the fight against extremist group IS.

The original entry ban, which was invalidated by the US courts, covered all citizens of the seven countries, including those who already had a valid residence permit or visa to the United States.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today

—————