Biden Revokes Travel Ban on Citizens of Eight Countries to America

Joe Biden signed 15 executive orders in the first hours of his work in the White House. He returned America to the Paris Agreement and the World Health Organization, and also revoked the travel ban on citizens of eight countries, including Iran, to America.

Joe Biden signed 15 executive orders on his first working day in the White House and revoked many of Trump’s orders; including the ban on entry of citizens of eight countries to America, Iran being one of them, as well as building a border wall with Mexico.

Donald Trump’s administration in 2017 prohibited citizens of Iran, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Somalia, Venezuela, Chad, and North Korea from traveling to the United States; countries most of which are Muslim-majority.

This order faced significant opposition in America, and eventually two years later, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to enforce a revised version in which the phrase “travel ban” was changed to “strict scrutiny,” with the aim of “protecting the national interests” of the United States.

The new U.S. president also returned this country to the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organization. Anthony Fauci, a prominent American virologist, will represent the country at the World Health Organization meeting on Thursday, January 21.

After the coronavirus outbreak, former U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew America from this organization in protest of the WHO’s performance in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.

When signing the executive order to return America to the Paris Climate Agreement, Biden said: “We will address climate change in a way we have not done before.” Biden also announced that by 2050, the American economy will be compatible with the environment.

America’s re-membership in this agreement will be officially confirmed by the United Nations 30 days after Biden’s signing.

Trump in 2017 withdrew America from this important climate agreement; an agreement that was finalized in 2015 after extensive efforts.

Joe Biden signed other orders in the first hours of his work as U.S. President to protect the environment. He, for example, issued an executive order to halt oil extraction in Alaska’s protected natural area and also blocked the continuation of building the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada.

This order, however, caused displeasure to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is seeking the construction of this pipeline. He said he was “disappointed” by Biden’s action, but at the same time announced that he would cooperate with the new U.S. president in combating environmental pollution.

Trudeau is also the first political leader to congratulate Biden by phone on starting his work. This conversation is scheduled for Friday, January 22.

On Wednesday, Biden also revoked a committee that Trump had appointed in the final months of his presidency for the purpose of “teaching patriotism in schools.”

Last summer, amid debate, dispute, and protests and unrest over systemic racial discrimination in America, Donald Trump announced the formation of a commission for “teaching patriotism” in schools. This action was called “political propaganda” by historians and experts.

Source: DW