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Revised US travel ban targets same 7 nations: Report

WASHINGTON — A draft of the replacement executive order on immigration showed that the administration of United States President Donald Trump aims to put restrictions on citizens of the same seven Muslim-majority countries covered by the initial order, according to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing an internal State Department memo.

WASHINGTON — A draft of the replacement executive order on immigration showed that the administration of United States President Donald Trump aims to put restrictions on citizens of the same seven Muslim-majority countries covered by the initial order, according to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing an internal State Department memo.

The replacement order could be issued as early as tomorrow, reported WSJ, citing a US government official.

The administration would seek to implement the new order a week to two weeks after it is signed, and covers citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, said WSJ.

The report came after US Homeland Security Chief John Kelly said yesterday that the new presidential immigrant ban would be better prepared and implemented to ensure no repeat of the chaos caused by the first. “I would say the President is contemplating releasing a tighter, more streamlined version,” he told the Munich Security Conference. “We will have, this time, the opportunity to work the roll-out plan in particular to make sure there is no one ... caught in the system.”

Mr Trump said last week he would announce a new executive order on immigration after federal courts suspended his Jan 25 order — which he said was meant to protect the country from terrorist threats — on the grounds that it targeted Muslims and was implemented without due care.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration plans to direct immigration agents to greatly expand the categories of immigrants they target for deportation, according to drafts of two memos seen by Reuters.

Two sources familiar with the plans told Reuters the documents have been approved by Mr Kelly, but are under final review by the White House. They are expected to be released to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) early next week.

Under the orders, hundreds of thousands of people would face expedited removal proceedings, including those who had not been prioritised for deportation under former US president Barack Obama.

The memos are guidance to instruct agents in the field to implement two executive orders signed by Mr Trump on Jan 25 intended to deter future migration and drive out more illegal migrants from the US. One memo instructs ICE agents to ignore Mr Obama’s memos on immigration priorities that targeted only recent arrivals and convicted criminal migrants for deportation.

Instead, migrants who have been charged with crimes but not convicted would be prioritised for deportation. The guidance also allows ICE agents wide discretion in deciding who to deport and considers anyone in the US illegally to be subject to deportation.

The memo also states that immigrants will not be afforded rights under American privacy laws. The second memo instructs CBP officers to crack down on illegal migration at the border by holding migrants in detention until a determination in their case is made.

The Department of Homeland Security did not deny any information contained in the draft memos, but did not provide further details. AGENCIES

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