Trump: Extreme vetting measures will keep US safe from terrorists

-


Donald Trump has signed a sweeping new executive order to suspend refugee arrivals and impose tough new controls on travellers from seven Muslim countries.

The US President who had promised the measures - called "extreme vetting" - during last year's election campaign, said he was making America safe from "radical Islamic terrorists".
"This is big stuff," he declared at the Pentagon, after signing an order entitled 'Protection of the nation from foreign terrorist entry into the United States'.
"I'm establishing new vetting measures to keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the United States of America.
"We only want to admit those into our country who will support our country and love deeply our people."Mr Trump's decree suspends the entire US refugee resettlement programme for at least 120 days while tough new vetting rules of applicants' backgrounds are established.
The new protocols will "ensure that those approved for refugee admission do not pose a threat to the security and welfare of the United States".
In addition, it specifically bars Syrian refugees from the US indefinitely, or until the president himself decides that they no longer pose a threat.
Meanwhile, no visas will be issued for 90 days to migrants or visitors from seven mainly-Muslim countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.Diplomatic rift between US and Mexico deepens
Some exceptions will be made for members of "religious minorities," which, in the countries targeted by the decree, would imply favourable treatment for Christians.
The move was immediately condemned by Democrats, civil liberties groups and aid groups.
"President Trump has cloaked what is a discriminatory ban against nationals of Muslim countries under the banner of national security," said Greg Chen of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
"This policy does not make us safer. It shows weakness and withdraws our nation from the position as global leader when so many refugees urgently need protection."


Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, said: "'Extreme vetting' is just a euphemism for discriminating against Muslims."
Ahmed Rehab, director of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said his group would mount legal challenges to fight the order "tooth and nail".
"It is targeting people based on their faith and national origin, and not on their character or their criminality," he said.
Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani activist and Nobel peace laureate who was shot in the head by the Taliban in 2012, said she was "heartbroken".
She urged Mr Trump not to abandon the world's "most defenceless children and families".
Meanwhile, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio promised a legal fight against the Trump administration if any attempt is made to withhold federal funds over immigration enforcement.


Mr Trump plans to make good on his campaign pledge to block federal funding to states and cities where local law enforcement refuse to report undocumented immigrants they encounter to federal authorities.
"If any action is taken as a result to restrict our funding, at that point we will bring legal action to stop it," said Mr de Blasio at a news conference at City Hall.
Mr De Blasio, surrounded by various city officials including his police commissioner, James O'Neill, also reassured city residents that the NYPD would not be used to enforce Mr Trump's new executive orders.
"We have come so far in making this city safe and building a better relationship between police and community. We are not going to take the very people that keep us safe every day and turn them against the communities they serve," he added.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

injured in Heidelberg car attack

-
Image
A man has died and two other people were hurt after a man drove into a pedestrian area in Heidelberg, Germany. Image copyright AP Image caption The motives for the attack are unclear, police say The attacker, who was believed to have been armed with a knife, was shot and injured by police in a brief standoff after fleeing the scene on foot. His motives are unclear, but there are no indications this was a terrorist attack, police say. In December an Islamist attacker drove a lorry into a Berlin Christmas market, killing 12 people and injuring 49. In Heidelberg the attacker, described as a 35-year-old German, drove what is thought to be a rental car into pedestrians in one of the city's central squares, injuring three people. One of them, a 73-year-old German man, later died in hospital. The attacker then left the car but was tracked down, shot and seriously injured by police near an old swimming pool. Police were unable to confirm local media reports that the attacke...
Read more

Madrid judge backs ban on Catholic group's anti-transgender bus

-
Image
6 hours ago   From the section Europe Share Image copyright HAZTE OIR Image caption Catholic group Hazte Oir claims its bus is just stating biological facts A judge has backed Madrid's decision to force a bright orange bus emblazoned with an anti-transgender message off its roads. Jose Juan Escalonilla said the bus could not move until the slogans, including "if you are born a man, you are a man", were removed. The bus belongs to Catholic group, Hazte Oir, which had planned to take it on a nationwide tour of Spanish cities. The public prosecutor is investigating whether it is a possible hate crime. Other messages on the side of the bus state "boys have penises, girls have vulvas. Do not be fooled" and "if you are a woman, you will continue to be one". Mr Escalonilla did not find the bus went as far as being a hate crime. However, he said he believed the bus was an "act of contempt" meant to "injure...
Read more

Donald Trump listed seven ways the world can be changed

-
Image
President Trump: Seven ways the world could change     76 comments Share Image copyright AFP With Donald Trump in the White House, America's relationship with the rest of the world is on the verge of changing in some important ways. Here are seven of them. Nato faces a shake-up Image copyright EPA Image caption Nato defence ministers meet - could the US flag disappear next time? Mr Trump has been hugely critical of Nato (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization), a cornerstone of American foreign policy for more than 60 years. He has attacked the organisation as obsolete and characterised its members as ungrateful allies who benefit from US largesse. In one sense, Mr Trump's rhetoric simply gives voice to longstanding US concerns about most Nato members not meeting their goal of spending at least 2% of GDP on defence, while US defence spending is the largest in the world. More recently, US Defence Secretary James Mattis travelled to Nato headquar...
Read more