US President Donald Trump will sign a new executive order on Monday after his first attempt was blocked. Unlike his last attempt, he will remove Iraq from the list of countries targeted in the US travel ban.
Iraq will no longer be affected by Trump’s travel ban due to new vetting procedures by the Iraqi government, such as heightened visa screening and its work with the US in countering the Islamic State.
American officials were concerned that restrictions would affect Iraqis who have previously worked with the American military as interpreters and sought to come to the US.
Since the original travel ban in January, over 24 lawsuits were filed against the US court and the state of Washington succeeded in suspending the 9th court by arguing it violated constitutional protections against religious discrimination.
The goal of the new order remains the same: keeping out would-be terrorists of the United States while the government reviews the vetting system for refugees and visa applicants.
“I believe that the travel pause from all of those countries will give us time to evaluate those countries and the information they can provide us, which will ultimately lead to safety for the American people,” said John F. Kelly, the homeland security secretary.
Trump’s original order banned people from seven nations from entering the US for 90 days and refugees for 120 days. Refugees from Syria are banned indefinitely, but under the new order they will not given separate treatment.
“It is substantially different from the first order yet it will do the same thing in this important way: It will protect the country and keep us safe,” a US official said.
During his Presidential campaign, Trump called for a ban of all Muslims entering the US. However, a White House official said the new order is based on national security considerations and is nothing to do with religion.