Donald Trump is giving the travel ban another go. On Monday, he signed an executive order restricting travel to the United States from six Muslim-majority nations. Noticeably absent from the list is Iraq, which the administration removed at the prompting of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.
The new executive order is a response to the original’s quick demise in federal court. Proponents of the move hope revised language will stop the ban from heading the way of its predecessor.
The new order imposes a 90-day ban on travel to the United States by citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Iraq was included on the list in January but taken off after Secretary Mattis cited the nation’s important role in the fight against ISIS. The government of Iraq had also lobbied the administration intensely, with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi scheduling phone calls with Trump and meeting with Vice President Mike Pence in person.
Negotiations between al-Abadi and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have led Iraq to adopt “increased vetting procedures” for immigrants, workers, and refugees headed to America.
Iraqi Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ahmad Jamal voiced his pleasure on Monday, saying, “The Iraqi Foreign Ministry expresses deep relief regarding the executive order that was issued by the American president Donald Trump, which excludes Iraqis from the travel ban to the United States.
“This is considered an important step in the right direction that strengthen [sic] and reinforces the strategic alliance between Baghdad and Washington in many fields, in particular the fight against terrorism,” Jamal concluded.
The absence of Iraq from the list wasn’t the only change made to the revamped executive order.
Concessions were also given to U.S. permanent residents, green card holders, and persons with valid visas from the six affected countries. One of the main criticisms levied against Trump’s January executive order was the impact it was having on individuals who had been legally authorized to be in the United States. Families were temporarily torn apart as the State Department voided visas and prevented immigrants from returning home to America.
Wording in the new executive order also mentions its intention to bolster the national security. According to the document, the FBI is currently around 300 people who entered the United States as refugees and are “currently the subjects of counter-terrorism investigations.”
Nevertheless, Democratic critics of both orders have been vocal in their opposition.
“We know that country of origin is a poor predictor of a propensity to commit acts of terror,” said Representative Adam Schiff of the House Intelligence Committee. “If it were, Pakistan has been a far more problematic source of attack planning and would be at the top of the President’s, but that country merits not even a mention in the order.”
Schiff’s statement raises a common point about the countries included on the travel ban. While several of the nations – namely Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, and Libya – are currently suffering from civil unrest related to radical Islamist insurgencies, they are by no means leading global exporters of terror. Tunisia, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and even Russia have contributed large numbers of foreign fighters to the Islamic State and al-Qaeda affiliated groups in Iraq and across the Levant. Iran, somewhat paradoxically, has a population which comprised largely of Shia’a Muslims – a sect of Islam which has seen extensive persecution by Sunni groups such as ISIL and al-Qaeda.
Lawyers for civil rights groups were as skeptical of the revised travel ban as Congressional Democrats.
“This is a retreat, but let’s be clear – it’s just another Muslim ban,” said Omar Jadwat, director of the Immigrants’ Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union.
“They can’t unring the bell.”
Sources
Trump’s New Travel Ban Blocks Migrants From Six Nations, Sparing Iraq
US President Donald Trump signs new travel ban, exempts Iraq
What it’s like in the 6 countries on Trump’s travel ban list
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