Reuters: Trump to Temporarily Suspend Refugee Admissions and Visa Issuance for Citizens of Syria and Iran

Congressional staff and immigration experts say President Donald Trump is expected to issue several “executive orders” on Wednesday that would temporarily restrict visa issuance for citizens of Syria and six other Middle Eastern and African countries, including Iran.

Reuters was the first news agency to report on Tuesday night, February 5, that Mr. Trump would issue these executive orders on Wednesday.

According to the Washington Post, Iran is among the countries whose citizens will face restrictions when applying to immigrate and obtain visas to enter the United States.

Shortly after Reuters’ report, Mr. Trump tweeted that Wednesday would be a “big day” for American national security. According to the news agency, a ban on refugee admissions to the United States and visa issuance for citizens of Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen is expected to be suspended for several months.

The Washington Post also confirmed on Tuesday that Mr. Trump’s decisions will be announced following a meeting with Department of Homeland Security staff on Wednesday.

Another Visa Restriction for Iranian Citizens

If Trump issues an executive order restricting visas for Middle Eastern countries, including Iran, this will not be the first time Iranian citizens face such restrictions.

Last December, the U.S. Congress enacted a law requiring citizens of 38 countries, mostly European, who have traveled to Iran and countries designated as “state sponsors of terrorism” in the past five years to obtain a visa to enter the United States. Additionally, citizens of these countries who also held Iranian citizenship were required to obtain a visa, whereas before this law, they could travel to the United States without a visa simply by holding citizenship of a country like Britain.

Previously, during the presidency of George W. Bush and following the terrorist attacks of September 11, Iran was identified by him, along with Syria, Iraq, North Korea, and Sudan, as part of an “axis of evil,” after which strict visa and immigration measures were applied to Iranians for a long time.

Earlier, during the administration of Jimmy Carter and following the hostage-taking of American diplomats in Tehran, visa issuance and immigration processes for many Iranians were delayed.

Concerns About “Terrorists” Entering

If Mr. Trump issues the order, refugee admissions from other countries to certain U.S. cities designated as “refugee resettlement sites” will be suspended.

For some time, Republicans opposed to the Obama administration have been against allowing refugees, particularly from countries like Syria. However, Mr. Obama and Democrats, in defense of U.S. immigration processes, had admitted tens of thousands of Syrians to the country in recent months.

Donald Trump, during his election campaign and following terrorist attacks in Europe for which ISIS was responsible, announced that Muslims should be temporarily prevented from entering the United States. After criticism from Muslim groups, he stated that he is not against Muslims, but rather his plan is to prevent terrorists from entering America.

The Obama administration opposed this policy and stated that every refugee undergoes security and intelligence checks by relevant agencies before entering the United States.

Source: Voice of America