Trump signs executive order banning Syrian refugees
January 28, 2017
US refugee programme suspended for 120 days and Syrian refugees barred until further notice.
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order suspending the US refugee programme for 120 days, specifically barring Syrian refugees until further notice.
Trump signed the order at the Pentagon, saying the moves would help protect Americans from “terrorist” attacks.
“I’m establishing new vetting measures to keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the United States of America. Don’t want them here,” Trump said earlier on Friday.
“We only want to admit those into our country who will support our country and love deeply our people,” he said.
Civil rights groups condemned the measures as discriminatory.
The order suspends the Syrian refugee programme until further notice, and will eventually give priority to minority religious groups fleeing persecution. Trump said in an interview with a Christian news outlet the exception would help Syrian Christians fleeing the civil war there.
