The Punishing Costs Of Family Reunification
Hiding behind these numbers are thousands of rejected applications, and the tens of thousands of dollars spent on applications and their associated costs by people working long hours in the United States to support their family members here and abroad. Substantial proportions of that money have been diverted to agencies of the US government, landlords, attorneys and others. In the United States, more than half of all Yemenis live at or below 125 percent of the poverty line and only 13.5 percent have a college education. This means that, depending upon family size, more than half of Yemeni Americans have annual incomes ranging between $13,000 and $44,000 with which they are supporting at least two domiciles. Re-routing tens of thousands of dollars to the struggle for a visa risks pushing families on both sides of the ocean into the depths of poverty.
When the US embassy closed in Sanaa in February of 2015, in preparation for the Saudi attack on the city, Yemeni visa processing largely moved to the embassy in nearby Djibouti, substantially increasing the costs and risks required to apply for family reunification visas.
Trump Adds Six New Countries To Travel Ban List
Three years after President Trump first signed an executive order barring entry to the U.S. for citizens of seven majority-Muslim countries, hes adding six new countries to the so-called travel ban list.
Speaking to reporters on background Friday afternoon, officials with the departments of State and Homeland Security confirmed that Trump was signing a proclamation extending the list of countries subject to the travel ban to include Myanmar , Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Sudan, and Tanzania. Existing restrictions imposed against Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen under a third iteration of the original travel ban and upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018 will also remain in place, the officials said.
Among the six countries added, Sudan and Kyrgystan are majority Muslim, with Christianity and Islam more closely split as the main religions in Tanzania and Nigeria. Myanmar is predominantly Buddhist and its government has been accused of encouraging an ethnic cleansing campaign against its Muslim minority, the Rohingya making the country one of the worlds biggest drivers of refugees in recent years.
The new restrictions imposed on the six countries added Friday which will take effect on Feb. 22 are less stringent from those applied to the other countries already on the list. Those will remain in effect.
Its focused on people who want to reside in the U.S., not people who want to visit, the DHS official said.
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Donald Trumps Immigration Ban And Barak Obamas 2011 Policy: Any Major Differences
Thus, the bottom line is that there is no immigration vetting system is excellent, no matter how extreme. President Obama often said his uppermost priority was keeping Americans safe. In keeping with Americas values and ideals, he also worked to create a vetting system that worked more fairly and professionally, mainly for refugees who are – by definition – in harms condition. Glancing the criticism, now Trump points a finger at Obama. Consequently, President Trump should defend his attitude on its merits, if he can and he should not compare it to his predecessors.
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Convictions None For Terrorism
Most of the 72 individuals referenced by Miller were not convicted on terrorism charges. Many of them were caught up in terrorism investigations in the days following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, but were either never charged or not convicted of terrorism.
For example, CIS listed 19 Iraqis convicted in terror cases. But we found that only three Iraqis were convicted on terrorism charges. Most 11 of the 19 were part of a terrorism investigation in Pittsburgh that ended up as a simple fraud case that had nothing to do with terrorism.
In the Pittsburgh case, Kamel Albred, Haider Alshomary, Haider Al-Tamimi, Ali Alubeidy, Alawi Al-Baraa, Mustafa Al-Aboody, Mohammed Alibrahimi , Fadhil Al-Khaledy, Hatef Al-Atabi, Wathek Al-Atabi and Elmeliani Benmoumen were among 20 people arrested in the days following the 9/11 attacks on charges they illegally obtained commercial drivers licenses and hazmat transportation permits, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Federal prosecutors feared that the men obtained the licenses in order to transport hazardous materials across the country to carry out terrorist attacks, the Post-Gazette wrote.
But the terrorism investigation fizzled.
Nearly four years later, the Washington Post wrote a story about the Pittsburgh case The Terrorism Case That Wasnt and Still Is that quoted Cindrich as saying that he would not continue to characterize this as a successful prosecution of a terrorism case, because it was not.
Trump Expands Travel Ban To Six More Countries But True Impact Unclear
President Trump on Friday marked roughly three years since his controversial travel ban by announcing the addition of six African and Asian countries to the list of those whose nationals face restrictions on travel to the United States.
The Homeland Security and State departments announced that the administration was adding Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Eritrea, Nigeria, Sudan and Tanzania to the list. More than 80% of those potentially affected by the new ban are from the four African countries, according to Americas Voice, an organization advocating for immigration reform.
Administration officials said Friday that the measure would not necessarily block all citizens of those nations from entering the United States, affecting only limited categories of travelers. U.S. officials will stop issuing certain visas to potential immigrants from Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Eritrea and Nigeria, and diversity visas, obtained by lottery for those whose countries have low rates of U.S. immigration, will no longer be issued to Sudanese and Tanzanians.
The new restrictions will not apply to tourist or business travel, White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement Friday.
The State Department has put increasing pressure on countries it deems recalcitrant for not adopting electronic passports with biometric data and agreeing to certain information-sharing with the United States.
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How Biden Could Make Amends For The Travel Ban
While Wednesdays news may come as a relief to those affected by the travel ban, its clear that ending the ban is only the beginning of the process of dismantling one of Trumps cruelest immigration policies.
Although legal immigrants now have a greater chance of being approved for a visa, the Trump administration has imposed other barriers, from implementing extreme vetting of their applications to expanding biometrics requirements.
People harmed by the ban will still need to navigate a bureaucratic minefield made even more treacherous by the Trump administration, Khera said. The Biden administration must take sweeping administrative action to clear away these hurdles and reunite families as soon as humanly possible.
Immigrant advocates are calling on the Biden administration to increase refugee admissions from affected countries. Trump slashed the overall refugee admissions cap to 15,000 this year and all but suspended refugee admissions from Yemen, Somalia, and Syria on the basis of perceived terrorism risks. Biden has vowed to raise the refugee cap to 125,000 but hasnt identified whether people of certain nationalities will be prioritized for admission.
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Why A Travel Ban
The U.S. imposed a travel ban on China in late January to try to reduce the coronavirus outbreak. The U.S. administration has credited that early ban for slowing the spread of the virus into the United States.
“To keep new cases from entering our shores, we will be suspending all travel from Europe to the United States,” Trump said Wednesday.
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Trump Travel Ban: New Order Targeting Six Muslim
Iraq dropped from list of affected countries with Syrian refugees no longer facing indefinite ban but 120-day suspension of refugee program to stand
Donald Trump on Monday signed a revised executive order to reinstate a ban on immigration from certain Muslim-majority countries and suspend the US refugee program.
The new ban, which revokes a previous order issued on 27 January that prompted instant chaos and was eventually blocked by federal judges, marked a significant retreat for Trump and his administrations vigorous defense of the original travel ban as being within the presidents legal authority. But activists said they were planning to challenge the new ban.
The new order seeks to address prior complaints by removing language that granted priority to religious minorities for refugee resettlement, which had been viewed as targeting Muslims. It states that Trumps original directive was not motivated by animus toward any religion, a remark rejected instantly by refugee advocates and civil liberty groups, who said they planned to challenge the second order on similar grounds.
It also includes specific exemptions for lawful permanent residents, who had initially been covered by the previous order.
And it removes Iraq from the list of targeted states, and implements a more gradual rollout, meaning the new travel ban will not come into full effect for another 10 days.
Trump Adds 6 Countries To Travel Ban List
New restrictions on Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sudan, Tanzania
WASHINGTON
The Donald Trumps administration added six more countries into its travel ban Friday, the White House said.
Trump issued a proclamation, suspending overseas issuance of immigrant visas for certain nationals of Myanmar, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, and Nigeria.
As well, the administration halted participation certain nationals of Sudan and Tanzania in the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, known as the Visa Lottery.
“The new restrictions will not apply to tourist, business, or other nonimmigrant travel,” said the White House in a statement.
The move comes in line with Presidential Proclamation 9645, also known as travel ban, which prohibits citizens of countries that fail to cooperate with the U.S. on national security requirements.
“The Administration will work with the non-compliant countries to bring them into compliance with United States security standards,” said the statement.
Entry restrictions remain on Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, Yemen, and Somalia.
Trumps executive order, often described as a “Muslim ban,” was imposed soon after he took office and limited travel from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, North Korea and Venezuela.
The ban was heavily criticized and faced multiple legal challenges, forcing the administration to revise it. Its third iteration was ultimately upheld by the Supreme Court in a 5-4 vote in June 2018.
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Understanding The Chaos In Myanmar
Myanmar is on the verge of civil war.Following a military coup on Feb. 1, unrest has been growing. Peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations have given way to insurgent uprisings against the Tatmadaw, the countrys military, which ousted the countrys civilian leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi is a polarizing figure.The daughter of a hero of Myanmars independence, Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi remains very popular at home. Internationally, her reputation has been tarnished by her recent cooperation with the same military generals who ousted her.
The coup ended a short span of quasi-democracy.In 2011, the Tatmadaw implemented parliamentary elections and other reforms. Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi came to power as state councillor in 2016, becoming the countrys de facto head of government.
The coup was preceded by a contested election.In the Nov. 8 election, Ms. Aung San Suu Kyis party won 83 percent of the bodys available seats. The military, whose proxy party suffered a crushing defeat, refused to accept the results of the vote.
Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi could face time in prison.She was detained by the junta and secretly put on trial. If convicted of all 11 charges against her, which include inciting public unrest, she could be sentenced to a maximum of 102 years in prison.
In recent weeks, American citizens, as well as immigrants and potential students, have felt the consequences of the increased vetting that has come with the travel bans.
The Muslim Ban Is Part Of The Trump Administrations Increased Attacks On Communities Of Color Immigrants And Muslims
Since taking office, Trump has worked to dramatically reduce immigration to the United States, particularly of people of colorby keeping Muslims and other people out, deporting people who are here, and creating an atmosphere of nativism and fear. In fact, the most recent expansion of the Muslim ban has led some advocates to criticize the policy as an African ban.
Whats more, the administration set the refugee admissions goal for this fiscal year at 18,000the lowest level in U.S. history. This new number will extremely reduce the number of refugees coming from countries in the Middle East and Africa, exacerbating the horrific impacts of the Muslim ban.
Last fall, the administration also issued an executive order allowing state and local officials to block refugee resettlement in their communities, a decision akin to promoting racial segregation and restricting rights to freedom of movement based on ones immigration status.
Although the policy was temporarily halted by the courts, if implemented, it could affect currently settled refugees who live in areas that apply the policy and are hoping to be reunited with their loved ones. It will also force refugees to choose between settling in areas that provide resources to resettle refugees or settling in areas closer to family and an established community.
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What Was Donald Trump’s Muslim Travel Ban
In January 2017, Trump signed an executive order titled ‘Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States’ which was became better known as the muslim travel ban.
Under the ban, millions of people fleeing violence, hoping to reunite with their families, access medical treatment, pursue their careers, and many more were banned from entering the United States.
Who’s Impacted By The Travel Ban
The U.S. is banning entry to those traveling from the 26 European countries that form the so-called Schengen Area, where there are no passport checks between internal borders. These nations are: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Most people who have been in these countries in the 14 days prior to their scheduled arrival in the United States will not be allowed in. This two-week limit means those affected can’t get around the rules by changing flights in a non-European airport.
The ban does not apply to legal permanent residents of the U.S., according to the Department of Homeland Security, and in most cases, it does not apply to immediate family members of American citizens.
Countries in Europe not part of the Schengen area are excluded from the ban. These include the U.K., Ireland, Croatia, Cyprus, Bulgaria and Romania.
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The Supreme Court Steps In
At the Trump administrations request, and without review, the Supreme Court on December 4, 2017 permitted temporary implementation of the third Muslim ban, the September 2017 Proclamation 9645, rather than wait for the outcomes of pending actions in federal appellate courts. This administration strategy is a now familiar pattern, said Justice Sonia Sotomayor in a recent dissent, which forces the Court to consider important statutory and constitutional questions that have not been ventilated fully in the lower courts, on abbreviated timetables and without oral argument, thereby eroding a fair and balanced decision making process.
Without review, the Supreme Court on December 4, 2017 permitted temporary implementation of the third Muslim ban, rather than wait for the outcomes of pending actions in federal appellate courts.
The Supreme Courts acquiescence to the will of the Trump administration has empowered it to continue to restrict immigration. In January 2020, the administration added new immigration bans for citizens of Myanmar, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan and Nigeria, and made citizens of Sudan and Tanzania ineligible for US diversity visas, which are awarded by lottery to qualified persons from countries underrepresented among US immigrants. Notably, Rohingya Muslims are now caught up in the travel ban and will be unable to seek safety in the United States from genocide in Myanmar.
