President Donald Trump, trying to quell a backlash over his "extreme vetting" order, said the United States would resume issuing visas to all countries once secure policies are put in place over the next 90 days.
Under an order he signed on Friday, immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries were barred from entering the United States. The decision has drawn large protests at many US airports, where some travelers from those countries have been stranded.
“To be clear, this is not a Muslim ban, as the media is falsely reporting,” Trump said. “This is not about religion – this is about terror and keeping our country safe. There are over 40 different countries worldwide that are majority Muslim that are not affected by this order. We will again be issuing visas to all countries once we are sure we have reviewed and implemented the most secure policies over the next 90 days,” he said.
Trump had promised the "extreme vetting" measures during last year's election campaign, saying they would prevent militants from entering the United States from abroad. But civil rights groups have condemned the order as harmful and discriminatory.
Separately, Trump said that Syrian Christians will be given priority when it comes to applying for refugee status, but legal experts said singling out a particular religion could be challenged as a violation of the US Constitution.
Trump supporters had strongly criticised former President Barack Obama’s decision to increase the number of Syrian refugees to be taken into USA.
Moreover, Trump’s executive order threatens a refuge settlement deal of more than 1,000 asylum seekers that US had made with Australia in 2016.
Catherine Stubberfield, spokesperson of UN High Commissioner for Refugees told Reuters:
Any substantial delay in the relocation of refugees...would be highly concerning from a humanitarian perspective. These men, women and children can no longer afford to wait.
Recently, President Donald Trump on Wednesday ordered construction of a US-Mexican border wall and punishment for cities shielding illegal immigrants while mulling restoring a CIA secret detention program as he launched broad but divisive plans to reshape US immigration and national security policy.
The immigration crackdown has sparked fear among so-called "dreamers," whose parents brought them to the United States illegally and who received temporary deportation relief and work permits from President Barack Obama.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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