Trump To Sign Executive Orders Suspending Issuing Of Visas To Citizens Of 7 Predominantly Muslim Countries

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Trump To Sign Executive Orders Suspending Issuing Of Visas To Citizens Of 7 Predominantly Muslim Countries

Reuters is reporting that U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to sign executive orders today that includes a suspension of visas for citizens of Syria and six other Middle Eastern and African countries. This was revealed by congressional aides and immigration experts, who asked not to be named, briefed on the matter.

Trump gave a hint about this on twitter, saying a big day was planned on national security on Wednesday. He is expected to block visas being issued to anyone from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. He could also instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to stop any current visa holders from those countries from entering the US.

On Border security, Trump also insists on the construction of a border wall with Mexico. He is also expected to ban for several months the entry of refugees into the United States, except for religious minorities escaping persecution, until more aggressive vetting is in place.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said on Tuesday the State and Homeland Security Departments would work on the vetting process once Trump's nominee to head the State Department, Rex Tillerson, is installed.

Will there be Legal challenges? Immigration expert Hiroshi Motomura at UCLA School of Law said that legal challenges could be launched if all the countries subject to the ban are Muslim-majority nations. Legal arguments could claim the executive orders discriminate against a particular religion, which would be unconstitutional, he said.