Trump signs new travel ban that excludes Iraq, suspends refugee program

Update: President Donald Trump has signed a revised travel ban that temporarily halts entry to the U.S. for people from six Muslim-majority nations who are seeking new visas and suspends the country’s refugee program.

White House spokesman Michael Short says the signing was done privately. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly explained the ban Monday morning but did not take questions afterward.

The new directive aims to address legal issues with the original order, which caused confusion at airports, sparked protests around the country and was ultimately blocked by federal courts. The revised order is narrower and specifies that a 90-day ban on people from Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia and Yemen does not apply to those who already have valid visas.

The new ban eliminated Iraq as one of the target countries. Since Iran, for example, is a state sponsor of terrorism, the country is still included, explained Tillerson, as are any failed states, which serve as safe havens for terrorists.

Related: Federal judge favors Washington’s case against Trump travel ban

During the announcement, Sessions said that there are 300 people who came as refugees that are under investigation for potential terrorism-related activities.

“Like every nation, the United States has a right to control who enters our country and to keep out those who would do us harm,” Sessions said. “This executive order seeks to protect the American people, as well as lawful immigrants by putting in place an enhanced screening and vetting process for visitors from six countries.”

Check back for more updates.

Original: President Donald Trump’s new travel ban order will temporarily halt entries to the United States for people from six Muslim-majority countries who are seeking new visas. That’s according to a fact sheet distributed to lawmakers and obtained by The Associated Press.

The new directive aims to address legal issues that arose from the original order, which was blocked by the courts. CBS News reports the ban will have an effective date of March 16th, 10 days from now.

According to the fact sheet, people from Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia and Yemen who do not currently have valid visas will be blocked from coming to the U.S. for 90 days.

Iraq was originally included on the list of banned countries. But according to the fact sheet, Iraq was removed from the order after agreeing to increase cooperation with the U.S. government on vetting of its citizens applying for a travel visa.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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