The watered down order also exempts existing visa-holders, but expands refugee ban.
President Donald Trump signed on Monday a revised executive order banning travelers from six predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. It is a watered down version of a sweeping order he signed on January 27, which was tossed out by a federal court.
The new order will suspend issuance of visas to citizens of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days. It also bans entry of refugees from all over the world for 120 days. The previous order had banned refugees from only one country, Syria.
Iraq, which was on the initial list, has been exempted.
“[The] close cooperative relationship between the United States and the democratically elected Iraqi government, the strong United States diplomatic presence in Iraq, the significant presence of United States forces in Iraq, and Iraq’s commitment to combat ISIS justify different treatment for Iraq,” the executive order pointed out.
The new order also exempts those that already have valid US visas.
The latest move comes after Trump suffered a judicial setback and resulted in widespread protest at airports across the country.
The initial travel ban was squashed by federal judge James Robart in Seattle citing that the Justice Department has not furnished enough evidence to support such a sweeping move.
The decision of the Seattle court was later upheld by the US Appeals Court, which said there was a lack of evidence to justify the ban on migrants, visitors, and refugees from the seven countries, delivering a severe blow to the administration.
Reacting to the suspension of the executive order, Trump had lashed out against Robart calling him a “so-called judge” and terming the verdict as “ridiculous.”
The removal of Iraq from the list is reportedly due to the pressure by the Pentagon and the State Department. Both wanted Iraq taken off the list as that country is a major partner of the United States.
The Trump administration officials think that the new executive order will overcome the legal hurdles even though it is similar to the previous one.
“The Department of Justice believes that this executive order, just as the first executive order, is a lawful and proper exercise of presidential authority,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said after the order was signed.