President Donald Trump has signed a new executive order temporarily banning all refugees, as well as people from six majority-Muslim countries, from entering the United States, said on March 7.
In contrast to the fanfare that accompanied Trump鈥檚 rollout of January鈥檚 ill-fated travel ban, the March 6 signing was a decidedly low-key event. Trump signed the executive order out of public view.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson later outlined the details. The new ban applies to people from Syria, Sudan, Iran, Somalia, Libya and Yemen, but, unlike the original ban, not those from Iraq. Trump鈥檚 first Muslim travel ban was blocked by the courts in February amid massive nationwide protests.
Unlike the first ban, the new executive order will not apply to people from the six countries with green cards or who already have a visa.
Immigration and human rights advocates say the new ban still discriminates against Muslims and fails to address some of their concerns with the previous order.
Speaking to Democracy Now!, Nihad Awad from the Council on American-Islamic Relations said: 鈥淭his new executive order still stigmatises the faith of Islam and Muslims. It does not make America any safer but does make America less great.
鈥淭his Muslim order still blocks travel to the US by citizens from six Muslim-majority countries.听CAIR听continues to receive reports of unconstitutional and systematic ideological questioning of American Muslim citizens and foreign travellers by听[US Customs and Border Patrol]听about their religious values and political views.鈥
on March 8 that Hawaii filed the听听to the revised travel ban the previous day, asking a judge to temporarily block the order.
The challenge was filed by the office of Hawaii Attorney-General Doug Chin. It says the order is 鈥渋nflicting immediate damage to Hawaii鈥檚 economy, educational institutions and tourism industry; and it is subjecting a portion of the state's citizens to second-class treatment and discrimination, while denying all Hawaii residents the benefits of an inclusive and pluralistic society鈥.
Common Dreams said: 鈥淗awaii asked Judge Derrick K. Watson for an expedited hearing on the motion to file the temporary restraining order. If he agrees, the court will be able to hear the state's arguments before the ban goes into effect on March 16.鈥
鈥淚t's about discrimination,鈥 Chin told the media. 鈥淚t鈥檚 discriminating against people based on their national origin or based on their religion. It鈥檚 disenfranchising people who are not of the majority race or majority religion.
鈥淚t puts them in a place that smears their culture or a religion that is not accepted by everyone else. And that鈥檚 wrong.鈥
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