(Newswire.net — February 21, 2017) — Entering the United States is a long, difficult process for legal immigrants. Traveling is also a complex process, and immigrants are stopped regularly in both international and domestic airports.
Thanks to Trump’s new executive orders and plans for immigration policy changes, these things will continue to become even more difficult.
Does this new travel ban affect me?
President Trump initiated an executive order that barred any Syrian refugees from entering the United States from several countries for at least 120 days while his cabinet works on a solution for better handling threats. The order has caused chaos in both the immigration system and in international airports, and immigrants around the world are concerned that they won’t be able to enter the United States.
There’s a slight misconception that the travel ban affects several parts of the world – it actually only affects citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries: Yemen, Somalia, Syria, Sudan, Iran, Iraq, and Libya.
It affects students, visitors, and green-card-holding legal and permanent residents of the United States who came from these seven countries. Anyone from these countries with U.S. citizenship, whether natural-born or naturalized, will be allowed to travel, but they may be stopped at airports for further questioning.
Seven countries are currently affected, but President Trump has hinted at barring more countries in the future. We haven’t seen this just yet, but it’s something to watch out for.
If my ethnicity affects my ability to travel, how can I protect myself?
Citizens from the countries listed above are being advised not to travel outside the United States for at least the next 90 days. Any refugee or immigrant who leaves the country may not be able to re-enter.
If you have a green card, you should be able to travel, but proceed with caution. You may be detained at airports and could potentially miss your flight as a result. It may be best to avoid travel until things calm down.
If you have plans to travel or you want to know more about your rights, consult an immigration lawyer. A professional can help you understand your rights and help mitigate your risks. It’s particularly important if you have an emergency and need to travel outside of the United States.
How do I get back inside the United States if I’m abroad?
Some immigrants and refugees were outside of the United States when the ban was enacted. Now, they’re trying to get back in. It might be difficult to return, even if you hold a green card or are a lawful permanent immigrant.
Here’s another situation in which an immigration lawyer can serve you well. They better understand the laws and can help you navigate any difficulties.
What is the impact of this ban?
More than 30,000 green-card-holding, Middle Easterners have already been affected by this order. What’s more, the UN estimates that about 20,000 refugees from around the world will be affected.
According to an article from the Atlantic, this travel ban may be a little farther reaching than just these numbers.
“There have been multiple reports since the executive order was signed of people being prevented from boarding flights,” the article stated. “Refugees, who had gone through the years-long process before being approved to come to the U.S., stranded in third countries; of Iraqis who had worked for years with the U.S. military being denied entry; of Iranian students stuck overseas; of U.S. tech companies recalling its foreign workers because of the possible impact. And there have been protests against the order at airports across the country, including at New York’s JFK International Airport and Dulles Airport outside Washington, D.C., and the Los Angeles International Airport where lawyers, demonstrators, and the media descended to witness the order’s impact.”
The federal appeals court is considering lifting Trump’s executive order.
Any immigrants and refugees from the seven listed countries should understand how this law affects them. However, there’s hope on the horizon. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals is hearing challenges to the travel ban, and could potentially lift the order.
There has been some unrest from citizens of the United States, on both sides of the political spectrum, and even from Trump’s inner circle. Many claims that this order is unconstitutional and the court is considering repealing it.
“Mr. Trump’s inner circle had left much of the administration in the dark about the executive order,” says an article from the Washington Post. “It was created with little to no legal review or input from the departments most involved in carrying it out, in particular Homeland Security … The order was widely condemned by Democrats, religious groups, business leaders, immigration policy experts, academics and others.”
This kind of outrage doesn’t go unnoticed, and under the review of our justice system, it will be determined whether or not travel will resume for all immigrants.