Green Card Holders Exempted from Trump’s Muslim Ban

In an about-face on Trump’s executive order on Friday barring entry to the U.S. of anyone originating from a list of 7 primarily Muslim countries, anyone possessing a valid green card will now be exempted from the ban moving forward.

During a Sunday morning appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press, White House Chief of Staff, Reince Priebus announced that green card holders originating from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Somalia, Libya and Yemen will no longer be barred or prevented from returning to the U.S.

According to the New York Times, when asked by show host, Chuck Todd, about the documented chaos and confusion which had occurred at airports immediately following the signing of the ban, Priebus appeared to shift responsibility for it to Customs and Border Patrol officials. He maintained that they had “discretionary authority” to question and possibly detain anyone they found suspicious when those travellers came from the Trump 7 list.

While confirming that green card holders from countries named on the list will no longer be affected by Friday’s executive order, Priebus warned they will still face added scrutiny and questioning when they do return to the U.S. from abroad.

The flip-flop is a direct result of the judicial stay issued against the ban on Saturday by District Court Judge Ann M. Donnelly. The stay will remain in place until a February 21 hearing determines if it will gain permanent status.

According to the New York Times, on Friday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) clearly stated that the ban applied to green card holders if they originated from the 7 countries named on the ban list and that they should expect to be detained if they attempted to gain entry to the U.S. White House staffers confirmed this point on Saturday afternoon.

On Sunday, however, The DHS issued a statement saying agents will “continue to enforce all of President Trump’s executive orders.”  The statement added that “Prohibited travel will remain prohibited” before concluding by saying it “will comply with judicial orders.”

Source :Morocco World News