Trump’s Visa Ban Order: The View From a Worried Middle East
- Move will confirm fears of ‘escalating tensions’ with Muslims
- U.S. allies are mostly absent from list of targeted nations
Trump's Visa Order: Why the Middle East Is Worried
With the stroke of a pen, Donald Trump barred most citizens from seven mainly Muslim Mideast and East African nations from entering the U.S. While the latest executive order of his week-old presidency delivers on a campaign pledge to strengthen America’s borders, it was denounced in advance by human-rights groups as an attack on some of the world’s most vulnerable people, and will alarm many in the Islamic world.
Under the order -- which also placed a 120-day ban on virtually all refugee admissions -- nationals from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Sudan and Somalia won’t be able to enter the U.S. for at least 90 days while officials determine what information is needed from other countries to safely admit visitors. While the order doesn’t list the countries, it points to laws that cover those seven, which were provided by the White House. Most of the countries are home to conflict or Islamist insurgency, while the U.S. has sanctioned Iran for sponsoring terrorism. So, what’s at stake?