(CNN) President Donald Trump signed a new executive order Monday banning immigration from six Muslim-majority countries, notably dropping Iraq from January’s previous order.
The new travel ban comes six weeks after Trump’s original executive order was rolled out to chaos and confusion at airports nationwide, and eventually blocked by a federal court.
The new version exempts people who hold current visas and drops an indefinite ban on Syrian refugees, reducing it to 120 days. It also makes clear that lawful permanent residents are excluded from ban.
“We cannot compromise our nation’s security by allowing visitors entry when their own governments are unable or unwilling to provide the information we need to vet them responsibly, or when those governments actively support terrorism.” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Monday.
The ban covers Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Iraq’s removal from the list came after an intense review from the State Department to improve vetting of Iraqi citizens in collaboration with the Iraqi government.
“The United States welcomes this kind of close cooperation,” he said. “This revised order will bolster the security of the united states and our allies.”
The rollout of the revised travel ban marks an important moment for the administration, which has little room for error after the chaotic debut of the original plan. That failure raised questions about the new White House’s capacity to govern and to master the political intricacies needed to manage complicated political endeavors in Washington. It also brought Trump into conflict with the judiciary in the first sign of how constitutional checks and balances could challenge his vision of a powerful presidency built on expansive executive authority.
The original order barred citizens from seven countries from entering the US for 90 days, all refugees for 120 days and indefinitely halted refugees from Syria.
It came under intense criticism as an attempt to bar Muslims from entering the country, and Trump’s call during the campaign for a “Muslim Ban” was cited in court cases attacking the ban.
The new order does not prioritize religious minorities when considering refugee admissions cases.
Administration officials Monday stressed they do not see the ban as targeting a specific religion.
“(The order is) not any way targeted as a Muslim ban … we want to make sure everyone understands that,” an official told reporters.
“The Department of Justice believes that this executive order just as the first executive order is a lawful and proper exercise of presidential authority,” Sessions said.
Democrats responded by calling Trump’s order a repeat version of the first attempt.
