Southern Californians React to New Immigration Restrictions
A revisedexecutive order signed Monday by President Donald Trump that restricts travel into the United States from six primarily Muslim countries and bars all refugee entries for 120 days did little to appease Southland elected officials who called the order no better than the previous one that was rejected by a federal court.
"The executive order that the president signed today still targets people indiscriminately, is still far out of step with values of religious tolerance and equality, and still goes against everything we believe..." L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti
Trump's order is expected to take effect in 10 days, providing a preparation window that was lacking in his previous order that was ultimately put on hold by a federal appeals court in Northern California. The new order puts a 90-day halt to visitors from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. The order does not include Iraq, which was included in the previous order.
The new order also suspends all refugee entries for 120 days.
"The executive order that the president signed today still targets people indiscriminately, is still far out of step with values of religious tolerance and equality, and still goes against everything we believe as Americans and Angelenos," Mayor Eric Garcetti said. "L.A. will always protect the safety and security of our families and communities, and will remain a welcoming city where people from all over the world can find a home."
Trump signed the order without fanfare Monday morning, but he has been vowing for weeks to take such an action after the federal court rejected the previous one. He has repeatedly called the order necessary to protect national security by temporarily halting visitors from select countries so the process of vetting immigrants can be revamped.
In a briefing with reporters, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called the order a "vital" tool for "strengthening our national security." Administration officials, including Attorney General Jeff Sessions, said 300 people who entered the United States as refugees were being investigated by the FBI in terrorism-related probes.
Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Los Angeles, called the revised order harmful and incompetent.
"Trump's Muslim Ban 2.0 is nothing short of a strategic failure," Lieu said. "A leaked DHS report from his own cabinet called citizenship from the banned countries an unreliable indicator of threat. If the banned countries are such a threat, then why does this second ban arbitrarily drop the nation of Iraq? And why does the ban go into effect on March 16? Where's the urgency in that? This second executive order just makes no sense."
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., added, "Just like the first order, it simply seeks to carry out the president's campaign promise to create a `Muslim ban' by imposing a blanket prohibition on travel to the United States from Muslim-majority countries. Just like the first order, we will work to rescind it."
