Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration on Friday Jan 27,2017 and its Consequences explained

US President Donald Trump on Friday Jan 27,2017 signed an executive order hardening his stance on immigrants and refugees coming into the country. 

The order issued a ban on the entry of immigrants from seven Muslim-majority nations and put restrictions on the entry of Syrian refugees into the US. 

The Republican President said that the move is issued for “national security” and to “keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the US.”

“I’m establishing new vetting measures to keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the United States of America. We don’t want them here,” Trump said after he signed the executive order.

What does the order say?

The order puts a ban on nationals from seven Muslim-majority nations – Iraq, Iran, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Libya and Yemen for 90 days. 

The ban is not on every Muslim nation and people from countries such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, can still enter US. 

The order also affects individuals who are green-card holders and were travelling overseas. 

According to the officials, the applications of green-card holders will be judged on case-to-case basis. It also disallows refugee from different nations to enter the country for at least 120 days. 

The move also bars entry of refugees from Syria for an indefinite period of time.

The order does not affect anyone with US citizenship, irrespective of whether the person is a natural-born US citizen or a naturalised citizen. 

US President Trump, at a White House Press conference, described the order as a “travel ban” and said that it is working “very nicely”. He also insisted that in spite of claims, the order is not “anti-Muslim.”

The immediate fallout from Trump’s order meant that an untold number of foreign-born US residents now traveling outside the US could be stuck overseas for at least 90 days, despite holding permanent residency “green cards” or other visas. 

And some foreign nationals who were allowed to board flights before the order was signed Friday were being detained at US airports, told they were no longer welcome.

Trump defends order, says it’s not a Muslim ban

Donald Trump defended his executive order banning citizens from seven Muslim majority countries from US and said that the it is not ban on Muslims. “It’s not a Muslim ban,” Trump said. “It’s working out very nicely. You see it at the airports, you see it all over.” The US President stressed that there is going to be an extreme vetting of the citizens that will be allowed to entere the country. “We’re going to have a very, very strict ban and we’re going to have extreme vetting, which we should have had in this country for many years,” Trump said.

Reactions to Trump’s executive order

Trump’s executive order was heavily criticised by several world leaders. In a bid to give tough response to Trump’s ban on Iranian citizens, the Iranian Government said that it was blocking entry to US citizens in the country. The Iranian officials described the move as “insulting” and said that they will retaliate against it till the restrictions in place are lifted. Iranian Foreign Ministry said the order will promote more violence and extremism in the United States.

British PM Theresa May, who met with Trump on Friday, admitted that she does not agree with the immigration curbs implemented by the US President. May received flak from all corners, including lawmakers from her own party, after she refused to speak on the topic during her visit to Turkey and maintained that Washington was responsible for its own immigration policies. But after returning to London, May’s spokesperson said, “We do not agree with this kind of approach and it is not one we will be taking. We are studying this new executive order to see what it means and what the legal effects are, and in particular what the consequences are for UK nationals.”

Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also came out in support of refugees and said that he will allow those fleeing persecution to stay in Canada. In a series of tweets, Trudeau said “To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength #WelcomeToCanada.”

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said on Sunday Jan 29,2017 the Muslim-majority nation deeply regrets President Trump’s immigration orders. French President Francois Hollande who had a telephonic conversation last week advised Trump against the isolationist policies. “In an unstable and uncertain world, turning inward would be a dead end,” he said. After Trump’s executive orer, France Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said, “The reception of refugees fleeing the war, fleeing oppression, is part of our duties.

Hillary Clinton tweeted on Saturday evening Jan 28,2017  that she supported those who had chosen to speak out against the ban

Cab drivers at New York City's JFK airport went on strike for an hour from 6 pm to 7 pm Saturday to protest against the ban

- Google CEO Sundar Pichai: I am upset about the impact of this order and any proposals that could impose restrictions on Googlers and their families

- Facebook Inc Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg: Like many of you, I’m concerned about the impact of the recent executive orders signed by President Trump. We need to keep this country safe, but we should do that by focusing on people who actually pose a threat

- Apple CEO Tim Cook: This is not a policy we support… We have reached out to the White House to explain the negative effect on our coworkers and our company

- Elon Musk: The blanket entry ban on citizens from certain primarily Muslim countries is not the best way to address the country’s challenges

- Uber Technologies Inc CEO Travis Kalanick: This ban will impact many innocent people - an issue that I will raise this coming Friday when I go to Washington for President Trump’s first business advisory group meeting

- Microsoft Corp President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith: As a company, Microsoft believes in a strong and balanced high-skilled immigration system. We believe in the importance of protecting legitimate and law-abiding refugees whose very lives may be at stake in immigration proceedings

- Netflix Inc Chief Executive Reed Hastings: It has been a sad week. It is time to link arms together to protect American values of freedom and opportunity

- Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky: Not allowing countries or refugees into America is not right and we must stand with those who are affected

Federal court for the Eastern District of New York Issues Temporary Stay Jan 28,2017
The federal court for the Eastern District of New York issued an emergency stay (pictured) Saturday evening. The stay means that none of the travelers detained in airports around the country can be deported

WHAT IS THE EMERGENCY STAY?

The emergency stay issued Saturday evening by a federal court is a temporary measure that preserves the status quo pending a permanent ruling.

It means that none of the travelers currently held at airports across the nation can be deported back to their countries.

That is because Judge Ann Donnelly ruled that doing so would cause the travelers irreparable harm.

The stay does not, however, mean that the travelers have to be let into the United States.

It is unclear what will happen to those detained.

The stay is not a ruling on Donald Trump's executive order enforcing the immigration ban.

Lawyers had filed a petition on behalf of two out of 12 refugees detained at JFK airport.

The men, two Iraqi nationals, had valid visas. One of them had worked for the US government for years.

ACLU attorneys had filed a petition on their behalf, but the stay is effective nationwide.

The lawyers who handled the case have also filed for class certification, which means other people affected by the order will be able to benefit from the stay as part of a class action

The decision accompanied growing resistance to Trump's crackdown on Muslim immigration, with large protests spreading at major airports across the country.

"Victory!!!!!!" the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), whose lawyers sued the government, tweeted after US District Judge Ann Donnelly issued her decision.

"Our courts today worked as they should as bulwarks against government abuse or unconstitutional policies and orders."

Consequences

Protestors rallied at a demonstration against the new ban on immigration issued by Trump at Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts

A sea of protesters gathered outside of Terminal 4 of JFK after people from Muslim countries were detained at border control

More than 1,000 people gathered at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to protest Trump's order that restricts immigration

Demonstrators also gathered in San Francisco International Airport Saturday to protest against the ban on immigration