WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s revised travel ban will temporarily halt entry to the United States for people from six Muslim-majority nations who are seeking new visas, allowing those with current visas to travel freely, according to a fact sheet obtained by The Associated Press.
BREAKING: White House says President Trump has signed revised executive order on temporary travel ban.— The Associated Press (@AP) March 6, 2017
The revised order is narrower and specifies that a 90-day ban on people from Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen does not apply to those who already have valid visas. The White House also dropped Iraq from the list of targeted countries, following pressure from the Pentagon and State Department, which had urged the White House to reconsider, given Iraq’s key role in fighting the Islamic State group.
The fact sheet cites negotiations that resulted in Iraq agreeing to “increase cooperation with the U.S. government on the vetting of its citizens applying for a visa to travel to the United States.”
A fact sheet detailing the order was distributed to lawmakers and obtained by the AP.
Trump administration officials say that even with the changes, the goal of the new order is the same as the first: keeping would-be terrorists out of the United States while the government reviews the vetting system for refugees and visa applicants from certain parts of the world.
BREAKING: AP Source: New travel ban order to temporarily halt entry for those seeking new visas from 6 Muslim-majority countries.— The Associated Press (@AP) March 6, 2017
BREAKING: Iraq says its removal from revised US travel ban sends a ‘positive message’ for relations.— The Associated Press (@AP) March 6, 2017