U.S. President Donald Trump has signed two executive actions designed to enhance U.S. security, the more far-reaching of which restricts any Syrian refugees from entering the United States for an indefinite period of time.
Trump signed the orders Friday at the Pentagon, where he participated in a swearing-in ceremony for Defense Secretary James Mattis. Soon after the president’s action, protesters staged a demonstration at the main federal office building in New York City.
Friday’s executive order, titled “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States,” calls for suspension of visas and other immigration benefits to citizens of “countries of particular concern.”
As a reason for the order, the document cites the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington, which were carried out by 19 foreigners who obtained visas to enter the United States without difficulty. It refers to other terrorism-related crimes committed over the past 15 years by foreign nationals who entered the United States using either short-term visas — as visitors, students or temporary workers — or as refugees seeking resettlement in the U.S.
“Deteriorating conditions in certain countries due to war, strife, disaster and civil unrest increase the likelihood that terrorists will use any means possible to entered the United States,” the order states, and it calls for greater vigilance and caution by American consular officials before visas are granted.
The order does not spell out which countries are “of particular concern,” although it authorizes the Department of Homeland Security to keep track of nations that do not provide adequate information about their citizens. White House officials indicated earlier this week that Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia would be an initial list of countries “of concern,” but the order noted additional countries could be added to that list at any time.
As reported earlier when drafts of Trump’s planned action circulated in Washington several days ago, the official text forbids the entry into the United States of any Syrian refugees for an indefinite period, until the president determines “that sufficient changes have been made ... to ensure that admission of Syrian refugees is consistent with the national interest.”
The order also suspends operations of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program for 120 days, while the Secretary of State and other officials re-evaluate procedures “to ensure that those approved for refugee admission do not pose a threat to the security and welfare of the United States.” It also limits the number of refugees that may be admitted to the United States to 50,000 during fiscal 2017, the 12-month period that ends on September 30.
In a swift reaction to events in Washington, more than 100 protesters formed a human chain later Friday at the entrance to a federal office building in New York City used by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as well as the FBI and other federal agencies. VOA’s New York bureau is located in that center in downtown Manhattan.
The president said Friday that only people who support the United States should be allowed into the country. Compared to Trump’s campaign-trail promises to institute “extreme vetting” for Muslims and travelers from countries linked to terrorism, the executive order he signed discussed identification and verification procedures that U.S. consular officers should use in extensive detail.
Under the general topic of terrorism, the executive order directed U.S. officials to watch for “gender-based violence against women, including ‘honor killings,’” and called for the gathering of “any other information relevant to public safety and security.”
“We don’t want them here,” Trump said. “We want to make sure that we are not admitting into our country the very threats our soldiers are fighting overseas. We only want to admit those into our country who will support our country and love deeply our people.”
One of the protesters in New York, Debbie Altmontaser of the Muslim Community Network, told reporters, “The impact of this executive order will be immense, both on immigrants as well as Muslims. We fear that it will further marginalize communities.”
Mark Hetfield of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, added, “It’s clear that President Trump has decided to pick on refugees. ... This is going to cost tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of people their lives, because they won’t find protection here. They won’t find protection anywhere.”