President Trump, facing a suspension on his Travel Ban from US District Court Judge James Robart, will revise the ban, according to CNN and other sources. The Trump administration originally promised to release the revision early in the week starting on Feb. 20. However, according to many sources, he has delayed the release. As of Feb, 22, it is unclear how long this delay will last.
Sources say that the new ban still targets immigrants from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen, but will no longer force out permanent residents or green card holders from these countries. USA Today explained that the new ban will only target people without a visa and those who have never traveled to the U.S.A. before. Additionally, Fox News notes that the new ban will no longer target Syrian refugees.
The battle between the Trump administration and the US Court system is far from over. After Robart’s suspension of the ban, Trump attempted to overturn this ruling in court.
“See you in Court,” Trump said on Twitter.
However, he was unable to overturn the suspension, and it stayed in place.
The ban will keep citizens of the seven aforementioned countries from acquiring new Visas. Mondaq.com reported that the department of State Visa processing has been suspended for residents of those specific countries.
The revision will not look much different other than the aforementioned changes. Trump still plans to cut down immigration by half as compared to the Obama administration, according to sources. He is still targeting people from specific countries, streamlining the process of deporting immigrants with expired visas from those seven countries.
Trump’s executive order caused a lot of chaos in the international custom’s at U.S.A. airports, according to sources. Customs employees were unsure if they were supposed to follow the ban right away in light of the suspension implemented by Robart.
Some VWC students question the deportation of people with expired visas.
“I know someone from my past and his visa is expired and he’s an upstanding citizen,” junior religious studies major Luke Wentling said.
The ban has already had significant effects on international travel.
As a result of the ban, international travel into the U.S.A. has dipped significantly. This has some worried. Adam Sacks, the president of Tourism Economics, found that the U.S.A. could lose 800,000 international visitors and the equivalent of $736 million in tourism, as reported by the New York Times.
Trump is frustrated by the Courts’ decision to go against his ruling. His revision of the ban is a reluctant one.
”The new order is going to be very much tailored to what I consider to be a very bad decision,” Trump said at a White House news conference on Thursday, reported by CNN Politics.
Trump sees this ban as a necessary step in protecting American citizens. The purpose of the ban, according to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, is to temporarily pause immigration to then find out where there are gaps in the immigration system, as reported by Fox News.
In their filing against the suspension of the ban, the Justice Department argued that the court had no right to go against any actions the president might take in order to protect American Citizens.
”Courts are particularly ill-equipped to second-guess the President’s prospective judgment about future risks,” the Justice Department’s filing said.
This fear for the safety of American people appears to be Trump’s focus.
”We’ll win. For the safety of the country, we’ll win,” Trump said at a Gala when asked about his push against the suspension.
Despite Trump’s alleged care for American citizens, those opposing the ban describe it as unconstitutional, violating a core concept of the Constitution of the U.S.A. against religious discrimination. The Washington Times reported that Senator Tom Udall of New Mexico is amongst the people making this claim against it.
The United Nations have gone as far to describe the ban as “mean spirited” and even illegal under international human right’s laws, according to Independent.co.uk.
VWC students express concern for how the rest of the world views our country.
“I don’t think the rest of the world had a very good view of our presidency to begin with…I don’t think people are going to take very seriously the extreme extent he takes to keep his word,” junior business major Becca Davis said.
Davis also pointed out that while Trump may be able to pass his travel ban, he will not necessarily be able to influence the court systems.
“I think if there are enough people who support his vision it will pass, but I don’t know how much influence they have over the court system,” Becca Davis said.
Laurissa Senecal
ljsenecal@vwc.edu
