Earlier today Donald Trump barred visa-holders from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering the US.
The airlines were caught off guard and now Rush to Comply With Surprise Travel Restrictions
Global airlines are struggling to comply with new travel restrictions after being caught flat-footed by President Donald Trump’s executive order blocking visitors from seven predominantly Muslim nations.
U.S. carriers didn’t get advance notice of the travel ban or briefings from government officials on how it should be implemented, people familiar with the matter said.
The order was causing chaos at airports in the U.S. and abroad as border agents blocked travelers from entering the country and airlines barred visa-holders from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, as well as people from those countries who are lawful U.S. residents, from getting on planes to the country.
Lawyers “are trying to makes sense of what happened,” said Christine Alden, an immigration attorney in Miami. “It’s all really far-reaching. It’s going to affect businesses, families and students going back to school,” she said.
The U.S. has treaties with some of the targeted counties that allow investors to visit the U.S. under the E-2 visa program, she said. Those people won’t be allowed to come run their businesses. Oil companies, tech companies and other business that depend on foreign workers may see them stranded overseas.
Trapped Overseas
Legal residents holding the wrong passport who happen to be outside the US are stranded. This includes students, business executives, and even US business owners.
The Hill notes Immigration Ban Includes Green Card Holders.
President Trump’s executive order banning people from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. also applies to green card holders from those countries, the Department of Homeland Security said Saturday.
“It will bar green card holders,” acting DHS spokeswoman Gillian Christensen told Reuters.
Green cards serve as proof of an individual’s permanent legal residence in the U.S.
A senior administration official clarified on Saturday afternoon that green card holders from the seven countries affected in the order who are currently outside the U.S. will need a case-by-case waiver to return to the U.S.
Green card holders in the U.S. will have to meet with a consular officer before departing the country, the official said.
WSJ now reports that the #MuslimBan WILL apply to non-US dual citizens, i.e. a French citizen born in Iran can no longer travel to the US…
— Trita Parsi (@tparsi) January 28, 2017
Confirmed: Iran's Asghar Farhadi won't be let into the US to attend Oscar's. He's nominated for best foreign language film…#MuslimBan
— Trita Parsi (@tparsi) January 28, 2017
You can leave, but you might not make it back is the message of the day.
Mike “Mish” Shedlock
