WASHINGTON (AP) – A draft of President Donald Trump’s revised immigration ban targets the same seven countries listed in his original executive order and exempts travelers who already have a visa to travel to the US, even if they haven’t used it yet.
A senior administration official said the order, which Trump revised after federal courts held up his original immigration and refugee ban, will target only those same seven Muslim-majority countries – Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, and Libya.
The official said that green-card holders and dual citizens of the US from any of those countries are exempt. The new draft also no longer directs authorities to single out – and reject – Syrian refugees when processing new visa applications.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the order before it’s made public. The official noted that the draft is subject to change ahead of its signing, which Trump said could come sometime this week.
Asked about the revised order, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the document circulating was a draft and that a final version should be released soon.
Trump’s original executive order triggered chaos at airports around the world, as travelers were detained when the order rapidly went into effect, US permanent residents known as green-card holders among them.
Attorneys provided legal assistance to those held and protesters descended on the airports as news of the order’s implementation spread. In its original form, the order temporarily suspended all travel to the US for citizens of those seven Muslim-majority countries for 90 days.