An executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Monday has raised concerns among US civil rights organizations, who warn it paves the way for reinstating a travel ban targeting countries with predominantly Muslim or Arab populations.
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) stated that the new order provides even "wider latitude to use ideological exclusion to deny visa requests and remove individuals" already in the country. Reuters reported.
It builds on the same legal framework that supported Trump's 2017 travel ban. To assist those affected, the organization has launched a 24-hour hotline (844-232-9955).
The National Iranian-American Council (NIAC) criticized the executive order titled "Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats."
According to the NIAC, the order will not only separate American families from their loved ones but also deter international students from attending US universities.
The order directs top officials from the State, Justice, Intelligence, and Homeland Security departments to identify, within 60 days, countries whose screening and vetting procedures are "so deficient as to warrant a partial or full suspension on the admission of nationals from those countries."
It also expands on Trump's 2017 travel ban by adding language that bars entry into the US or the issuance of visas to individuals deemed to "bear hostile attitudes toward its citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles." Furthermore, it establishes a process that could lead to the revocation of visas issued since January 2021.
According to Josef Burton, a former State Department official and visa officer, the new order gives the government "a lot of undefined authority" to deny a broad range of visas for workers, students, and participants in educational exchange programs. Burton shared his insights during a conference call organized by NIAC.
Abed Ayoub, the national executive director of ADC, told Reuters that the organization is considering legal action against the order.
He argued that it sets "a very dangerous precedent" that could be used against right-wing organizations under a future Democratic administration.
"This order will allow for the removal of individuals in the U.S. based on what they say, express, or the positions they hold," Ayoub said.
"If they attend a protest that the administration may deem hostile, their visas could be revoked, and they might face removal proceedings."
Building on a policy upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018, Trump has repeatedly expressed his intent to impose travel restrictions on individuals from specific countries or with particular ideologies.
During his presidential campaign, Trump pledged to reinstate travel restrictions on citizens of Syria, Yemen, Libya, the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, and "anywhere else that threatens our security." He also stated his intention to block the entry of socialists, Marxists, and communists into the United States.
