New Version of US Entry Ban Order May Exclude Iraq From List of Targeted States

Iraq may be knocked off the list of countries whose nationals are temporarily banned from entering the United States in the new version of the executive order on immigration, US media reported.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The revised version of the executive order, the first iteration of which was signed by US President Donald Trump on January 27, is expected to halt all refugee admissions temporarily, like the old version did, but will not ban refugees from Syria for an undetermined period of time, Politico news outlet reported on Tuesday, citing a White House official.

The new version has also been reportedly revised so as not to affect green card holders or people who already have valid US visas.

According to the official cited by the outlet, the work on the order is almost finished, but there still is a possibility of some final touches.

On February 3, a federal judge in Seattle temporarily froze the enforcement of Trump’s ban. The government filed a lawsuit, demanding to reverse the halt of the ban but was denied its request.

Trump’s executive order, entitled "Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States," intended to bar travelers from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering the United States for 90 days. In addition, the order would prohibit entry into the United States for all refugees for 120 days, while initially barring Syrian asylum-seekers indefinitely.

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