Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Saturday 1 February 2020
Trump curbs immigrants from 6 nations in election-year push

By COLLEEN LONG and NO- worldwide. Sudan and Tan- ing to the Pew Research were able to comply with Muslims entering the United
MAAN MERCHANT zania will have diversity vi- Center. the new standards in time. States until our country's
Associated Press sas suspended. The State Omar Jadwat, director of "These countries for the representatives can figure
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department uses a com- the American Civil Liberties most part want to be help- out what is going on."
Trump administration an- The seven countries in the
nounced Friday that it was ban include nations with
restricting immigrants from little or no diplomatic rela-
six additional countries that tionship to the U.S. and five
officials said failed to meet majority-Muslim nations:
minimum security stan- Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria,
dards, as part of an elec- and Yemen.
tion-year push to further Wolf said immigrant visas
clamp down immigration. were chosen because
Officials said immigrants people with those visa are
from Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, the most difficult to remove
Eritrea, Nigeria, Sudan and after arriving in the United
Tanzania will face new re- States.
strictions in obtaining cer- The initial ban was immedi-
tain visas to come to the ately blocked by the courts
United States. But it is not a and led to a monthslong
total travel ban, unlike Pres- process to develop clear
ident Donald Trump's ear- standards and federal re-
lier effort that generated view processes to try to
outrage around the world withstand legal muster.
for targeting Muslims. Wolf said officials examined
Trump signed a proclama- countries for compliance
tion on the restrictions Fri- with minimum standards for
day; they go into effect identification and informa-
Feb. 21 tion-sharing, and assessed
The announcement came whether countries properly
as Trump tries to promote tracked terrorism or public
his crackdown on immigra- safety risks.
tion, highlighting a signa- Officials looked at wheth-
ture issue that motivated In this Sept. 2017 file photo, a flag is waved outside the White House, in Washington. er countries used modern
supporters in 2016 and hop- Associated Press passports, shared informa-
ing it has the same effect tion that the U.S. could
this November. puter drawing to select Union Immigrants' Rights ful, they want to do the right validate on travelers and
The administration recently people from around the Project, said the previous thing, they have relation- identified possible criminal
announced birth tourism world for up to 55,000 diver- visa restrictions should not ships with the U.S., but for a suspects in a way that the
restrictions, is touting the sity visas. Nigeria is already be expanded. variety of different reasons U.S. could see before entry.
sharp decline in crossings at excluded from the lottery "President Trump is dou- failed to meet those mini- They evaluated responses
the U.S.-Mexico border and along with other countries bling down on his signature mum requirements," Wolf and ranked nations.
citing progress on building that had more than 50,000 anti-Muslim policy — and said. Government agencies
the border wall. natives immigrate to the using the ban as a way to The current restrictions fol- then discussed whether
"It is fundamental to nation- U.S. in the previous five put even more of his preju- low Trump's travel ban, countries had different, but
al security, and the height years. dices into practice by ex- which the Supreme Court important, contacts with
of common sense, that if Nonimmigrant visas were cluding more communities upheld as lawful in 2018. the U.S. and then decided
a foreign nation wishes to not affected — awarded of color," he said. They are significantly softer on restrictions.
receive the benefits of im- to those traveling to the "Families, universities, and than Trump's initial ban, "Really the only way to miti-
migration and travel to the U.S. for a temporary stay. businesses in the United which had suspended gate the risk is to impose
United States, it must satisfy They include visas for tour- States are paying an ever- travel from Iraq, Iran, Libya, these travel restrictions,"
basic security conditions ists, those doing business higher price for President Somalia, Sudan, and Ye- Wolf said.
outlined by America's law or people seeking medical Trump's ignorance and rac- men for 90 days, blocked The announcement had
enforcement and intelli- treatment. During Decem- ism." refugee admissions for 120 been expected around the
gence professionals," the ber, for example, about Rumors swirled for weeks days, and suspended trav- third anniversary of the Jan.
White House said in a state- 650,760 nonimmigrant visas about a potential new el from Syria. The govern- 27, 2017, enactment of the
ment. were granted worldwide. ban, and initially Belarus ment suspended most im- first order.
Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Er- The new restrictions were was considered. But Secre- migrant and nonimmigrant David Bier, an immigra-
itrea and Nigeria would swiftly met with criticism tary of State Mike Pompeo visas to applicants from tion policy analyst with the
have all immigrant visas from immigrant advocates was headed to the Eastern those countries. Exceptions Cato Institute, a Libertarian
suspended; those are ap- who slammed them as a European nation as the re- are available for students think tank, said the expan-
plicants seeking to live in new Muslim ban. strictions were announced, and those with "significant sion had no foundation
the U.S. permanently. They Sudan and Kyrgyzstan are and Belarus was not on the contacts" in the U.S. and had "even less of a ra-
include visas for people majority-Muslim countries. list. Trump has said a travel tional basis than all its prior
sponsored by family mem- Nigeria, the seventh-most Acting Homeland Security ban is necessary to protect iterations."
bers or employers as well as populous nation in the Secretary Chad Wolf said Americans. But opponents "This list of nations has no
the diversity visa program world with more than 200 Homeland Security officials have argued that he seeks foundation in the security
that made up to 55,000 vi- million people, is about would work with the coun- to target Muslim countries, factors on which it was sup-
sas available in the most evenly split between Chris- tries on bolstering their se- pointing to comments he posed to based," he said.
recent lottery. In Decem- tians and Muslims but has curity requirements to help made as a candidate in "It's just another arbitrary
ber, for example, 40,666 im- the world's fifth-largest pop- them work to get off the 2015 calling for a "total exercise designed to keep
migrant visas were granted ulation of Muslims, accord- list. Wolf said some nations and complete shutdown of out legal immigrants."q