State Dept: Fewer than 60,000 visas canceled by Trump order
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Supporters cheered as an Iranian citizen with a valid U.S. visa arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on Thursday. An Iranian man turned away from Los Angeles International Airport under President Donald Trump’s executive order barring people from seven Muslim-majority nations arrived back in the U.S. under a federal judge’s order.
WASHINGTON >> Up to 60,000 foreigners from seven majority-Muslim countries had their visas canceled after President Donald Trump’s executive order blocked them from traveling to the U.S., the State Department said Friday.
That figure contradicts a Justice Department lawyer’s statement Friday during a court hearing in Virginia about the ban. The lawyer in that case said that about 100,000 visas had been revoked.
The State Department clarified that the higher figure includes diplomatic and other visas that were actually exempted from the travel ban, as well as expired visas.
Trump’s order, issued last Friday, temporarily bans travel for people from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Libya and Yemen. It also temporarily halts the U.S. refugee program.
The hearing was focused on Virginia’s efforts to join a legal challenge from legal permanent residents. Erez Reuveni, a lawyer with the Justice Department’s Office of Immigration Litigation, urged U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema to keep the lawsuit focused only on lawful permanent residents, who were the subject of the initial lawsuit. Virginia sought to intervene in the case and expand it to include other people traveling to the U.S. on visas.
Brinkema asked Reuveni how many people were affected by the executive order. He said the number of cases involving lawful permanent residents is very small. But including all visas covered by the order, he said, “over 100,000 visas have been revoked.” He did not provide details.
Don't miss out on what's happening!
Stay in touch with top news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It's FREE!
Will Cocks, a spokesman for the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, clarified the figure after the court hearing.
“Fewer than 60,000 individuals’ visas were provisionally revoked to comply with the executive order,” Cocks said. “We recognize that those individuals are temporarily inconvenienced while we conduct our review under the executive order. To put that number in context, we issued over 11 million immigrant and nonimmigrant visas in fiscal year 2015. As always, national security is our top priority when issuing visas.”
Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, one of the plaintiffs’ lawyers, said after the hearing that “there is no legal justification to cancel all these visas.”
Brinkema decided to let Virginia join the case, transforming a lawsuit that had been focused on a narrow sliver of those affected into a battle that could affect the rights of tens of thousands of would-be immigrants and visitors.
Associated Press reporters Matthew Barakat in Alexandria, Virginia, and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
8 responses to “State Dept: Fewer than 60,000 visas canceled by Trump order”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
That’s a few more than the 109 people whom Trump said were the only ones affected.
Perhaps you should review the specific explanation of why those 109 people were affected.
The reasons that 109 people were affected has nothing to do with this story or my comment. My point was simply this: Trump says 109, and the State Department says 60,000. Who is more believable?
and that few more there visa’s expired and they never renewed them so tuff out of this country you go, always renew your visa or green card before they expire its the law and if you don’t do it US can kick you out.
The 109 that were affected is not in the same discussion as this story. Please read your stories before commenting on something that is totally invalid.
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema decided to let Virginia join the case, transforming a lawsuit that had been focused on a narrow sliver of those affected into a battle that could affect the rights of tens of thousands of would-be immigrants and visitors. “Rights of tens of thousands of would-be immigrants and visitors? Since when did any foreigner living outside the United States have a right to enter the U.S.?
This is why President Trump will Prevail.
McCarran-Walter Act
Very Interesting. Gets more interesting every day, as the public acts outraged, solely due to their ignorance. This is worth passing on. This election is certainly sending us back to the history, constitution, and laws on and in our books.
Donald Trump is right to ask, does anyone know of the McCarran Walter Act of 1952.
It has been a law for almost 65 years, and would seem to indicate that many, if not all, of the people we elect to work for us in Washington DC do NOT have the slightest idea of what laws already exist in OUR country.
After several terrorist incidents were carried out in the United States, Donald Trump was severely criticized for suggesting that the U.S. should limit or temporarily suspend the immigration of certain ethnic groups, nationalities, and even people of certain religions (Muslims). The criticisms condemned such a suggestion as, among other things, being Un-American, dumb, stupid, reckless, dangerous and racist. Congressmen and Senators swore that they would never allow such legislation, and our President called such a prohibition on immigration unconstitutional.
Known as the McCarran-Walter Act, the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 allows for the “Suspension of entry or imposition of restrictions by the President, whenever the President finds that the entry of aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States. The President may, by proclamation, and for such a period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or non-immigrants or impose any restrictions on the entry of aliens he may deem to be appropriate.”
And who do you suppose last utilized this process? Why it was President Jimmy Carter, no less than 37 years ago, in 1979, to keep Iranians out of the United States.
But he actually did more. He made ALL Iranian students, already in the United States, check in with the government. And then he deported a bunch of them. Seven thousand were found in violation of their visas, and a total of 15,000 Iranians were forced to leave the USA in 1979.
Additionally, it is important to note that the McCarran-Walter Act also requires that an “applicant for immigration must be of good moral character and in agreement with the principles of our Constitution.” Therefore, if it is true that the Quran evidently forbids Muslims to swear allegiance to the U.S. Constitution, then ALL Muslims possibly should be refused immigration to OUR country. (Not to mention that their religion requires them to kill anyone who refuses to convert to Islam, which is why so many Christians have been beheaded, and will be otherwise murdered by Muslims)
Authenticated at: Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952
The reason President Trump will prevail is the McCarran-Walter Act of 1952 it has been a law for almost 65 years.
Unfortunately I can not post it because this sorry excuse of a newspaper keeps blocking it. I wonder why.
Additionally, it is important to note that the McCarran-Walter Act also requires that an “applicant for immigration must be of good moral character and in agreement with the principles of our Constitution.” Therefore, if it is true that the Quran evidently forbids Muslims to swear allegiance to the U.S. Constitution, then ALL Muslims possibly should be refused immigration to OUR country. (Not to mention that their religion requires them to kill anyone who refuses to convert to Islam, which is why so many Christians have been beheaded, and will be otherwise murdered by Muslims)