Trump Signs Executive Order for 'Extreme Vetting' of Refugees
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that suspends the country's refugee program for four months and halts the entry of Syrian refugees indefinitely, a move he says is aimed at keeping "terrorists" out of America.
The order imposes stringent regulations on many potential immigrants, suspends all refugee admissions for four months and authorizing "extreme vetting".
"I'm establishing new vetting measures to keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the United States of America. Don't want them here," Trump said.
"We only want to admit those into our country who will support our country and love deeply our people."
The order directs the US State Department to stop issuing visas to Syrian nationals and halts the processing of refugees from the war-torn country indefinitely, stating that their entry is "detrimental to the interests of the United States".
The program will be suspended until their admission to the country is "consistent with the national interest".
In addition, America's broader refugee admissions program has been suspended for four months so a review can take place on how refugees are vetted, ABC News reported.
All immigration from countries with terrorism concerns has also been suspended for 90 days. It is not clear which countries will be affected, however, a draft order identified Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen — all majority-Muslim countries.
During his presidential election campaign, Trump had called for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States."
Trump’s December 2015 proposal, titled "Donald J. Trump Statement on Preventing Muslim Immigration," was widely condemned by Muslim and human rights groups as well as his Democratic rivals and many of his Republican proponents who describe the proposal as divisive, counterproductive and contrary to American values.
Trump's order also cuts the number of refugees the US plans to accept this budget year by more than half, to 50,000 people from around the world.
During the last budget year the US accepted 84,995 refugees, including 12,587 people from Syria. Former president Barack Obama had set the current refugee limit at 110,000.
The temporary halt to refugee processing will eventually give priority to minority religious groups fleeing persecution.
Trump said the exception would help Syrian Christians fleeing the civil war there but legal experts said singling out a particular religion could be challenged as a violation of the US Constitution.
Civil rights groups have condemned the move as harmful and discriminatory, and aid agencies had urged Trump not to turn his back on refugees.
"President Trump has cloaked what is a discriminatory ban against nationals of Muslim countries under the banner of national security," said Greg Chen of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
