Trump completely halted the admission of refugees to the US
"The entry of Syrian citizens as refugees is contrary to the interests of the United States, and I am suspending entry until such time as I determine that sufficient changes have occurred [...] to allow the admission of Syrian refugees in accordance with national interests," the text of the order, published shortly after its signing, states.
The order says the US is suspending the refugee admission program for 120 days to determine the effectiveness of current rules. The text also notes that the US will accept no more than 50,000 refugees in fiscal year 2017, with priority given to refugees persecuted on religious grounds.
KEY PROVISIONS OF THE ORDER:
• The refugee admission program from Syria is completely halted;
• The admission of refugees from other countries is suspended for 120 days;
• The US will introduce mandatory visa interviews for entry into the country;
• Plans to accelerate the creation of a biometric system to monitor entrants.
"We want to admit into our country only those who support our country and deeply love our people," Trump emphasized at the signing ceremony, which was broadcast by American television channels.
Details of the order leaked to the press earlier this week. Media reported that in addition to suspending the refugee admission program, a moratorium on entry for citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries (Sudan, Yemen, Libya, Somalia, Iraq, Iran, and Syria) was expected, but the order does not mention specific countries except Syria. The order also lacks details of a plan to create 'safe zones' for displaced persons in Syria, which the American press had reported.
According to the administration of former President Barack Obama, the US accepted about 10,000 Syrian refugees last year. For comparison, Canada, whose population is nine times smaller than its southern neighbor, resettled 35,000 newly arrived Syrians in the same period.
As the BBC notes, during his election campaign, Donald Trump proposed completely closing the door to Muslims entering the US until 'our people figure out what is going on.' However, after winning the election, Trump's rhetoric softened, and he never repeated this point in public.