Women’s Refugee Commission Responds to Trump’s Executive Order Targeting Muslim Refugees

President Trump has signed an Executive Order that includes, among other provisions, a suspension of the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program altogether and a temporary ban on entry to the U.S. for people traveling from a number of predominately Muslim countries.  The Executive Order says that priority will be given in the future to refugees who face religious persecution, “provided that the religion of the individual is a minority religion in the individual’s country of nationality.”

This Executive Order also contains provisions that block refugee admissions from Syria indefinitely, suspend refugee admissions from all countries for 120 days, cap total refugee admissions for fiscal year 2017 at 50,000, suspend visa issuance to countries of “particular concern,” and expedite the completion of a biometric entry-exit tracking system for all visitors to the U.S.