visas would be issued to nationals from
seven mainly Muslim countries including
Syria, Iran and Iraq.
Muslim travellers are reporting horror stories
of being turned away from the US just hours
after Donald Trump banned nationals from
seven countries from entering America.
The new US President last night ordered a
four-month ban on all refugees entering the
US.
Trump also said no visas will be issued to
nationals from seven mainly-Muslim nations
of Syria, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and
Yemen for 90 days.
The ban has sparked outrage among many
international organisations and Americans.
Tech giant Google has reportedly told its
overseas staff who could be affected by the
rule change to return to the US.
Muslim travellers have also started reporting
problems getting into America.
Former journalist with the Los Angeles
Times Mohammed Al Rawi said his 71-year-
old father had been taken off a flight in
Qatar and sent back to Iraq.
Writing on Facebook, he said: "My 71 year
old dad is in Qatar boarding LAX flight to
come visit us and and he's being sent back
to Iraq.
"Some US official told him that Trump
canceled all visas."
Five Iraqi passengers and one Yemeni were
also reportedly barred from boarding an
EgyptAir flight from Cairo to New York today,
sources at Cairo airport said.
The passengers, arriving in transit to Cairo
airport, were stopped and re-directed to
flights headed for their home countries
despite holding valid visas, the sources said.
Google has also reportedly recalled its staff
who are travelling abroad back to America.
According to Bloomberg News, a memo to
staff says more than 100 of its staff are
affected.
The tech giant has told these members of
staff to return to America, it has been
reported.
Google has not yet commented on whether
staff have been recalled.
An Iranian film director nominated for an
Oscar may also be unable to attend the
prestigious event.
Asghar Farhadi is nominated for best foreign
language film for his movie The Salesman,
which is filmed in Iran.
Fans of the renowned filmmaker - who won
an Oscar in 2011 for his film A Separation -
now fear he will be unable to attend
Hollywood's biggest night in February.
There are also reports of Syrians who have
given up everything who are trapped at US
airports and unable to enter the country.
"I'm establishing new vetting measures to
keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the
United States of America. Don't want them
here," Trump said on Friday.
"We only want to admit those into our
country who will support our country and
love deeply our people," he said.
The United Nations has this morning
condemned the ban while civil rights groups
have said the order is harmful and
discriminatory.
Filmmaker Michael Moore said: "That the
President of the United States would order
on Holocaust Memorial Day the banning of a
people due to their religion is reprehensible."
Trump claimed the move would keep
America safer, despite evidence which
shows none of the countries on the list have
been the source of terror attacks on US soil
since 9/11.
Having given no notice of the ban, it caused
chaos for thousands of Arab-American
families who already had family members en
route to visit.
There were reports of Syrian families who
have spent up to two years being vetted for
a visa left stranded at the airport having sold
all their possessions.
That Trump chose Holocaust Memorial Day
to make the announcement was all the more
upsetting for many Americans.
"Tears are running down the cheeks of the
Statue of Liberty tonight as a grand tradition
of America, welcoming immigrants, that has
existed since America was founded has
been stomped upon," Senate Minority Leader
Charles Schumer.
Republican senator Seth Moulton, an Iraq
War veteran, said: "President Trump is
leading our country out of fear instead of
facts.
"His executive orders banning refugees and
immigrants from some Muslim majority
countries to the United States plays right into
the hands of our enemies.
"ISIS has already used his statements to
help recruit new suicide bombers, and you
can bet Trump’s policies will help inspire
attacks against Americans both at home and
abroad.
"His policies literally put our troops’ live at
risk - I’ve heard this loud and clear when I
have visited them overseas."
"They also prove he has zero understanding
of our country’s values and no intention of
defending out constitution.
"We are a nation of immigrants, and America
is stronger when we welcome the refugees
of our enemies.
"These policies do no not put America first.
"I am ashamed he is our president."
Malala Yousafzai, the youngest ever recipient
of the Nobel Peace Prize, said in a
statement: "I am heartbroken that today
President Trump is closing the door on
children, mothers and father fleeing violence
and war."
"I am heartbroken that America is turning its
back on a proud history of welcoming
refugees and immigrants - the people who
helped build your country, ready to work in
exchange for a fair chance at a new life.
"I am heartbroken that Syrian refugee
children, who have suffered through six
years of war by no fault of their own, are
singled out for discrimination."
Civil rights groups have condemned the
order as harmful and discriminatory.
"Extreme vetting is just a euphemism for
discriminating against Muslims," American
Civil Liberties Union Executive Director
Anthony Romero said in a statement.
"Identifying specific countries with Muslim
majorities and carving out exceptions for
minority religions flies in the face of the
constitutional principle that bans the
government from either favoring or
discriminating against particular religions,"
Romero said.
Separately, Trump said that Syrian Christians
will be given priority when it comes to
applying for refugee status, a policy that
would likely be challenged on similar
grounds.
"If you were a Muslim you could come in,
but if you were a Christian, it was almost
impossible and the reason that was so
unfair, everybody was persecuted in all
fairness, but they were chopping off the
heads of everybody but more so the
Christians," Trump said in an excerpt of an
interview with the Christian Broadcasting
Network, discussing the Syrian refugees.
Statistics provided by the Pew Research
Center last October do not support Trump's
argument.
Pew research found that 38,901 Muslim
refugees entered the United States in fiscal
year 2016 from all countries, almost the
same number, 37,521, as Christian refugees.
Stephen Legomsky, a former Chief Counsel
at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
in the Obama administration, said prioritising
Christians could be unconstitutional.
"If they are thinking about an exception for
Christians, in almost any other legal context
discriminating in favor of one religion and
against another religion could violate the
constitution," he said.
But Peter Spiro, a professor at Temple
University Beasley School of Law, said
Trump’s move would likely be constitutional
because the president and Congress are
allowed considerable deference when it
comes to asylum decisions.
"It’s a completely plausible prioritisation, to
the extent this group is actually being
persecuted," Spiro said.
The order temporarily suspends the United
States' main refugee programme which
helped around 85,000 people displaced by
war, political oppression, hunger and
religious prejudice last year.
It is expected to affect two programmes U.S.
lawmakers created a few years after the
2003 invasion of Iraq to help the tens of
thousands of Iraqis who risked their lives
helping Americans.
Trump says the order is necessary to
prevent Islamist militants from coming to the
United States posing as refugees, but
refugee advocacy groups say the lengthy
screening of applicants by multiple U.S.
agencies makes this fear unfounded.
Campaigners said Britain should move to
step up and help Syrian refugees in the
wake of Trump's ban.
Stephen Hale, chief executive of Refugee
Action, said: " We’re appalled that President
Trump is closing the door to refugees fleeing
terror.
"Restricting America’s role in resettlement in
the middle of the worst refugee crisis on
record will have a huge impact on this vital
global programme.
"Some of the world’s most vulnerable people
will be left struggling to survive in camps
and on the borders of conflict zones.
"Thankfully we know Britain is better than
this. Now is the time to step up and
increase our commitment to protect those
forced to flee war and persecution."
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