President
Donald Trump will remove Iraq from a list of countries targeted in a U.S.
travel ban when he is expected to sign a new executive order on Monday after
his
controversial first attempt was blocked in the courts, a White House source
said.
The senior
White House official said the new executive order would keep a 90-day ban on
travel to the United States by citizens of six Muslim-majority nations - Iran,
Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
Iraq was taken
off the list of countries in the original order, issued on Jan. 27, because the
Iraqi government had imposed new vetting procedures, such as heightened visa
screening and data sharing, and because of its work with the United States in
countering Islamic State militants, the official said.
Thousands of
Iraqis have fought alongside U.S. troops for years or worked as translators
since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. Many have resettled in the United States
following threats for working with U.S. troops.
The White
House official said the new executive order, which the Republican president was
expected to sign on Monday, also ensures that tens of thousands of legal
permanent residents in the United States - or green card holders - from the
listed countries would not now be affected by the travel ban.
More than two
dozen lawsuits were filed in U.S. courts against the original travel ban, and
the state of Washington succeeded in having it suspended by the 9th Circuit
court of Appeals by arguing that it violated constitutional protections against
religious discrimination.
Trump publicly
criticized judges who ruled against him and vowed to fight the case in the
Supreme Court, but then decided to draw up a new order with changes aimed at
making it easier to defend in the courts.
DISRUPTIONS
While the
first order imposed restrictions immediately, the new directive would have an
as-yet undefined implementation delay to limit the disruptions that created
havoc for some travelers, the official said.
Refugees who
are "in transit" and have already been approved would be able to
travel to the United States.
*REUTERS*
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