Trump’s travel ban sparks global backlash
Melbourne schoolboy says he was “gutted” after being denied a US visa following Donald Trump’s controversial entry bans.
A Melbourne schoolboy claims to be the first Australian denied a US visa following President Donald Trump’s controversial entry bans.
Dual Australian-Iranian citizen Pouya Ghadirian, 15, told AAP he was “gutted” at being knocked back for a US tourist visa as he will miss out on his dreams to go to “space camp” in Alabama in March.
Pouya, who was born in Australia but holds dual Iranian-Australian citizenship by descent says he broke down at the US consulate when officers were forced to decline his visa application.
“I cried at the consulate and I don’t normally,” he said.
“(My dad) was upset as well because he was saying, ‘look we’ve had no criminal record and we’ve done nothing wrong’.”
The Year 11 Melbourne High School student’s interview was set for Monday morning but when he arrived at the US Consultate office in Melbourne with his father, consulate officers said the rules had changed.
“They were a bit shocked and they didn’t know how to handle it. They said they had terrible news,” he said.
“They said it was the first time it had happened in an Australian embassy.
“I have an Australian citizenship. I was born here. It doesn’t make sense and it can’t be right.” \
He sad he had been looking forward to go to the “space camp”, a $7000 dream trip to the US with his school, where he would visit Orlando, Washington, and the US Space & Rocket Center in Alabama.
“It’s not good being discriminated at all, in this way,” he told reporters on Monday night.
“It’s just unbelievable that Iran was added to the list of countries. There are a lot of successful Iranian people in the United States that have contributed to the economy and made America what it is.
“And I think it’s baseless because there’s no evidence to support that any Iranians would pose any threat going to the United States.”
“Not my job to run commentary”
Earlier, Malcolm Turnbull spoke publicly for the first time since his phone conversation with US President Donald Trump yesterday, confirming Mr Trump will honour Australia’s agreement with the Obama Administration to resettle refugees on Manus Island and Nauru in America, but refusing to condemn Mr Trump’s new US immigration policy banning entries from seven majority-Muslim countries.
Speaking in Canberra alongside Immigration Minister Peter Dutton, Mr Turnbull declined to discuss any details of the resettlement, including how many refugees it would involve.
Mr Turnbull said he had a “constructive” call with Mr Trump and had congratulated him and vice-president Mike Pence on their inauguration.
“The President and I acknowledged the already strong and deep relationship between the United States and Australia, and committed to making it stronger still,” Mr Turnbull said.
“We also recommitted our common determination, our united purpose, in defeating ISIL, which continues to have an impact, a dangerous, terrorist impact, not just in the Middle East but right around the world, including in our own countries.”
Mr Turnbull said he and Mr Trump had discussed the importance of border security and the threat of illegal and irregular migration and recognised that it is vital that every nation is able to control who comes across its borders.
“We discussed the very principles that I raised at the United Nations last year when I made the point there that our strong border protection, which the Coalition Government, under the leadership of PM Abbott in 2013, continued under my government and enhanced under my government, our strong border protection gives Australians confidence in the immigration system, gives them confidence in our humanitarian programs, underpins the commitment to ours, the most successful multicultural society in the world,” he said.
Mr Turnbull acknowledged the resettlement may be delayed by Mr Trump’s 90 day suspension on taking any new refugees.
The prime minister said the Australian Embassy in the US was engaging with US officials regarding the impact of Mr Trump’s new immigration policy for Australians who are dual nationals of any of the seven Muslim-majority countries whose entry has been banned.
He said that at this stage, DFAT had no received any consular assistance requests from Australians unable to board planes.
“If cases do arise, then we will take them up with the government, and the Foreign Minister’s spokesman has said that already,” he said. “Can I say to you though, it is not my job, as Prime Minister of Australia, to run a commentary on the domestic policies of other countries.”
Mr Turnbull said Australia’s rules and values were very well known, but stopped short of criticising Mr Trump. “Our commitment to multiculturalism is well known,” he said. “That’s our policy, but our borders are secure. That is the bottom line.”
Wong writes to PM
Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong has written to Mr Turnbull, seeking clarification on the impact of Mr Trump’s travel bans on Australian dual nationals.
Mr Trump has suspended entry permission for nationals of seven Muslim-majority countries which the US believes pose a terror risk.
In a letter sent to the Prime Minister this afternoon, Senator Wong Labor understands the US has confirmed that the President’s executive order applies equally to dual nationals who hold nationality of an unlisted country together with that of one of the seven listed countries.
“This implies that Australian dual nationals will be affected,” Senator Wong writes.
“As you are no doubt aware, this is causing a great deal of concern to members of our community.
“I seek your advice on what representations the Government has made to the United States Administration on behalf of these Australians, and confirmation on whether the executive order applies to Australian dual nationals.”
Senator Wong cited statements made by the office of Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau that Canadian dual nationals would be exempt.
“As well as confirming whether the government has received a similar assurance in regard to Australian dual nationals who wish to travel to the United States, I would also appreciate your clarification of the Australian government’s position on the executive order,” Senator Wong writes.
‘How will Trump travel ban affect us?’
Earlier, Labor deputy leader Tanya Plibersek said Malcolm Turnbull needed to explain how the US ban on entries from seven majority-Muslim countries would impact on Australian citizens and permanent residents who were born in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen or Somalia.
“We’ve seen the UK Prime Minister Theresa May make clear that she does not support this travel ban,” Ms Plibersek told reporters in Sydney on Monday. “It would be, I think, very important for the Australian government to make a clear statement about its view on this discriminatory travel ban.”
The executive order bars people from the seven Muslim-majority nations from entering the US for the next 90 days and suspends the admission of all refugees for 120 days.
Ms Plibersek said Australia’s non-discriminatory immigration policy had served the country well for four decades.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young challenged Mr Turnbull to condemn the presidential order.
“Turnbull’s refusal to condemn Trump’s immigration chaos is beyond spineless,” she said on Twitter.
Former prime minister Kevin Rudd said it would make the fight against terrorism more difficult.
“I fear impact of Friday’s change in US immigration policy on ISIS future global recruitment and probability of further terrorist attacks in US,” Mr Rudd said on Twitter.
Greens leader Richard Di Natale has called for Australia to “junk” its longstanding alliance with the US as retribution for President Trump’s ban.
“Instead of celebrating (and) fawning over the US president, now is the time for leadership, to express that in the strongest possible terms and to make it clear that Australia does not support what this president is doing,” he said.
Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, says President Trump’s ban could hurt the global fight against terrorism. Foreign Ministry spokesman Armanatha Nasir said onMonday “it is wrong to associate radicalism and terrorism with a particular religion.” He said work to combat terrorism must be carried out by promoting international co-operation and the ban could have “a negative impact on global efforts.”
Stopping wars? It’s creating them
Deng Adut has launched criticism at President Trump’s immigration ban saying “the culture of punishing the innocent and weak countries has got to stop”.
“It’s not stopping wars; it’s creating them,” said Mr Adut. “It’s creating economic deprivation for the local people; the victims are the poor, the ones that have no skills, the refugees.”
The plight of migrants and refugees is close to Mr Adut’s heart, as he himself came to Australia seeking refuge from war torn Sudan when he was just 14. At age six he was taken from his family and forced to fight as a child soldier in Sudan’s bloody revolution.
South Sudan, the country of Mr Adut’s birth, is not on the list of countries banned under the executive order, but neighbouring Islamic Republic of Sudan is. Mr Adut says the last time he travelled to the US he was detained for three hours because they only had one Sudan listed in their drop down box of country options.
Now a prominent lawyer based in Sydney who was chosen as last year’s NSW Australian of the Year, Mr Adut never forgets the impact that a compassionate immigration policy can have on people’s lives and the positive diversity it can foster.
He now focuses his career on fighting for the rights of refugees and migrants, particularly those from Sudan, and hates to think that America could be closing its doors to people who have a right to seek refuge and to those who already live legally in the US.
He also argued that President Trump’s executive order was hypocritical in denying migration from countries where America still has a strong military presence.
“If Trump succeeds with this ban and it stands up in court, the countries on the list should exclude Americans,” said Mr Adut. “America should be forced to leave Iraq and Syria and any other countries on the list where their military personnel and civilians are present. The hypocrisy is too much.”
Mr Adut argued it was misguided to put so much focus on foreign threats when there are many domestic issues already causing division and danger within American society. “There are homegrown threats in America that Trump should be focusing on, instead of the perceived threats of foreigners,” he said.
Republican fallout over travel ban
A growing number of Republican senators today said they were uneasy with aspects of President Trump’s ban, with centrists, military hawks and Mormon politicians worrying about the potential damage to American interests.
At least a dozen senators raised some measure of concern. Among the most strongly worded protests came from Senators John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who said in a joint statement that Mr. Trump’s order “may do more to help terrorist recruitment than improve our security” by alienating US allies in the Muslim world.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, in his response, was emblematic of the careful balance struck by other Republicans, who supported Mr. Trump’s national security goals while raising questions about his tactics.
“We need to be careful; we don’t have religious tests in this country,” Mr. McConnell said on ABC. The top Senate Republican demurred when asked whether he supported Mr. Trump’s policy, saying that courts would decide “whether or not this has gone too far.”
It was a measure of the degree of concern that two rank-and-file Republicans with whom Mr. Trump most regularly speaks - Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker - both publicly questioned his order.
“We all share a desire to protect the American people, but this executive order has been poorly implemented, especially with respect to green card holders,” said Mr. Corker, adding that Mr. Trump should make immediate revisions.
Trump: It’s not a Muslim ban
President Trump responded to the criticism from McCain and Graham, writing on Twitter they were “sadly weak on immigration’’ and “should focus their energies on ISIS, illegal immigration and border security instead of always looking to start World War III.’’
He took the unusual step of issuing a statement clarifying the circumstances of the current order and insisting it was not based on religion, saying it was not a Muslim ban and visas would be issued “to all countries’’ once procedures were vetted. He said that America “is a proud nation of immigrants and we will continue to show compassion to those fleeing oppression, but we will do so while protecting our own citizens and border”. He said the US would start issuing visas to people from all countries after the 90 day review.
“We will again be issuing visas to all countries once we are sure we have reviewed and implemented the most secure policies over the next 90 days,’’ he said in the statement.
“To be clear, this is not a Muslim ban, as the media is falsely reporting. This is not about religion - this is about terror and keeping our country safe.’’
Mr Trump highlighted how 40 other Muslim countries were not affected by the current ban.
“The seven countries named in the Executive Order are the same countries previously identified by the Obama administration as sources of terror,” he said.
US Homeland Security secretary John Kelly released a statement saying green card holders from the seven countries on the banned list would be allowed into the United States.
“I hereby deem the entry of lawful permanent residents to be in the national interest,” he said.
Protests, airport chaos over order
Anger and dismay has rippled across the world as politicians, community leaders and even sports stars reacted to the entry ban the US president has imposed.
As the realisation sank in that people with dual-citizenship who live outside the targeted Middle East and African countries would be affected, condemnation mixed with concern about families with travelling members who could be prevented from returning to the United States they call home.
The immigration order has sowed chaos across the country, with travellers detained at airports, panicked families searching for relatives and protesters registering opposition to the sweeping measure that was blocked by several federal courts.
Lawyers struggled to determine how many people were affected by the rules, which Trump said yesterday were “working out very nicely.” But critics described widespread confusion, with travellers being held in legal limbo because of ill-defined procedures. Protests in the US were underway yesterday in response to the ban.
‘Daddy might not be able to come home’
Olympic long-distance running champion Mo Farah - born in Somalia, citizen and knight of Britain, US resident and currently training in Ethiopia - wondered how he would tell his children that “daddy might not be able to come home.”
The future of Australian basketballer Thon Maker, a Sudanese refugee who plays for the Milwaukee Bucks is also in doubt.
In Iran, director Asghar Farhadi said the ban had prompted him to skip this year’s Academy Awards, where his film “The Salesman” is nominated for best foreign language film.
He condemned the “unjust conditions forced upon some of my compatriots and the citizens of the other six countries,” and expressed “hope that the current situation will not give rise to further divide between nations.”
Etihad Airways, the United Arab Emirates’ national airline, said some of its passengers were affected by the new policies and like other major airlines, was working closely with American officials on the matter.
Britain’s Labour wants Trump ban
Leaders of Britain and Germany joined other American allies in criticising Trump’s entry ban, even as some far-right politicians expressed hope the move would inspire similar measures in Europe.
The British prime minister Theresa May has ordered two senior ministers to speak to the Trump administration in the wake of increasing outrage about the travel ban.
In a tougher tone from Downing Street, both the foreign secretary Boris Johnson and the Home secretary Amber Rudd have contacted US officials to try and lift the ban which affects British dual nationals, just days after Mrs May met with US president Donald Trump to emphasise the two countries’ close working relationship.
The Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has urged Mrs May to cancel the scheduled state visit by Mr Trump - planned for the middle of the year - until he reverses the new restrictions.
“I am not happy for him coming here until that ban is lifted to be quite honest,’’ said Mr Corbyn, a position also backed by the Liberal Democrats and the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.
A petition calling for the state visit ban received half a million signatures within hours and could now trigger a parliamentary debate in Westminster. The petition says: “Donald Trump should be allowed to enter the UK in his capacity as head of the US government, but he should not be invited to make an official state visit because it would cause embarrassment to Her Majesty the Queen.’’
A British politician, Iraqi-born Nadhim Zahawi said he was now barred from visiting his two sons studying at Princeton University because he holds dual-Iraqi nationality.
But the former UKIP leader Nigel Farage said Trump was elected to get tough and do everything in his power to tighten immigration. ‘’He is entitled to do this,’’ Farage said.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has drawn fire for her government’s welcoming refugee policies, also regretted the ban.
Merkel raised the issue during a phone call with Trump Saturday, citing the 1951 Geneva Refugee Convention that calls on signatories to take in people fleeing war, spokesman Steffen Seibert said. “She is convinced that even the necessary, resolute fight against terrorism doesn’t justify putting people of a particular origin or particular faith under general suspicion,” Seibert said. He said Germany’s government “will now examine what consequences the U.S. government’s measures have for German citizens with dual citizenship and, if necessary, represent their interests toward our American partners.”
Who does the ban affect?
The order Trump issued this weekend includes a 90-day ban on travel to the US by citizens of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen, and a 120-day suspension of the U.S. refugee program.
A US Homeland official said about 375 people had been affected by the order to date. Out of the 375, 109 were in transit to the US and denied entry. Another 173 people were stopped by airlines from flights to the US including some who were scheduled to transit through the country. In addition 81 travellers with green cards or special immigrant visas received waivers.
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said his company would provide free housing to anyone in need following President Trump’s executive order, while Uber CEO Travis Kalanick said the ban could hurt “thousands” of Uber drivers
Airbnb is providing free housing to refugees and anyone not allowed in the US. Stayed tuned for more, contact me if urgent need for housing
— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) January 29, 2017
British foreign secretary Boris Johnson today clarified the impact of President Trump’s tightening of border controls after discussions with US department officials.
In a statement released this morning, he said the order only applies to individuals travelling from one of the seven named countries.
“If you are travelling to the US from anywhere other than one of those countries (for instance, the UK) the executive order does not apply to you and you will experience no extra checks regardless of your nationality or your place of birth.
“If you are a UK national who happens to be travelling from one of those countries to the US, then the order does not apply to you – even if you were born in one of those countries.’’
Mr Johnson added that dual citizens of one of those countries travelling to the US from outside of those countries are not affected by the order.
He announced that the only dual nationals who might have extra checks are those coming from one of the seven countries themselves – for example a UK-Libya dual national coming from Libya to the US. He said the US has reaffirmed its strong commitment to the expeditious processing of all travellers from the United Kingdom.
Turnbull, Trump call ‘engaging’
President Trump yesterday confirmed in a phone call with Malcolm Turnbull that the US would take refugees from Nauru and Manus Island under a deal struck with Barack Obama, even as Australian dual nationals from countries identified as “of concern” by the Department of Homeland Security would be caught in the migration crackdown.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop today said she was “confident the Australian government and the US government will continue to support each other.”
Speaking about the phonecall between the PM and President Trump, Ms Bishop said:
“(Mr Turnbull) was very pleased with the call ... It was very warm, it was very engaging”.
“He was very well briefed on all of the details of the US-Australia alliance ... I’m very confident that Australia and the United States will continue to work together and co-operate on ensuring that our respective immigration and border protection policies can be implemented, and that we will not in any way encourage the people smuggling trade to re-establish their business models and send people essentially to their death on dangerous journeys to Australia.”
One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts said many Australians would support a Trump-style immigration policy. “A government’s primary responsibility is to protect life, property, and freedom,” he told 3AW radio today. “We can’t afford to bring more terrorists into this country.”
Applause for immigration order
Influential Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr reacted by suggesting all Americans should be forced out of Iraq in retaliation, according to a statement from his office.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, also was sharp in her criticism of Trump’s move. “All men are first and foremost human beings, with their inalienable rights,” Mogherini wrote in a blog post. She added: “It feels so strange that we need to restate this, just days after Holocaust Remembrance Day.”
In contrast, nationalist and far-right groups in Europe applauded the restrictions and said they should be used a model for the continent. The Dutch anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders said in a tweet: “Well done (at) POTUS it’s the only way to stay safe + free. I would do the same. Hope you’ll add more Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia soon.”
The far-right National Democratic Party in Germany celebrated “the massive restriction on the entry of pseudo-refugees and Muslims to the USA.” In Italy, the leader of the anti-immigrant Northern League party also expressed admiration. “What Trump’s doing on the other side of the ocean, I’d like it done also here,” Matteo Salvini told reporters.
Referring to the hundreds of thousands of asylum-seekers and economic migrants rescued while crossing the Mediterranean and brought to Italy in recent years, Salvini said there is “an invasion underway which needs to be blocked.” He is pressing for early elections and courting other far-right leaders for a possible campaign coalition.
Italy’s Interior Minister Marco Minniti, who had held top security roles in recent governments, warned against “equating immigration and terrorism.” “Let’s be careful,” he said in a speech yesterday to officials from the main government coalition party, the Democrats. “Dissatisfaction and marginalisation becomes the culture terrain of terrorism.”
- With AP, The Wall Street Journal. Additional words: Emily Ritchie
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