Ban on immigrants, foreign nationals and refugees
President Trump signed an executive order Friday that bans all people from certain countries, both immigrants and non-immigrants, from entering the U.S. for 90 days.
The order refers to: Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
The order, titled "Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States," also suspends the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program for 120 days.
All Syrian refugees are barred from entering the U.S. indefinitely, according to the text of the executive order. The order also caps U.S. refugee intake for 2017 at no more than 50,000 people.
After refugee admissions in general resume, according to the order, priority admission to the U.S. will be given to those of religious minorities in their home country. Christian refugees from a Muslim-majority country, for example, will be given priority to enter the U.S. over Muslims from that country.
The Visa Interview Waiver Program is also suspended under the order. This program allows for non-immigrant visa applicants who frequently visit the U.S. to avoid an in-person interview. All current non-immigrant visas, according to the executive order, will now be reviewed for validity.
Finally, the order calls for the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Attorney General to regularly collect and publish data on the number of foreign nationals in the U.S. who have been charged with terrorism-related offenses, who have "radicalized" since entering the U.S., who have committed violence against women or whose actions in the U.S. are in any other way considered "relevant to public safety and security."
"Deteriorating conditions in certain countries due to war, strife, disaster, and civil unrest increase the likelihood that terrorists will use any means possible to enter the United States," the text of the executive order reads. "The United States must be vigilant during the visa-issuance process to ensure that those approved for admission do not intend to harm Americans and that they have no ties to terrorism."
Weekly list of crimes committed by immigrants to be published
Trump has ordered the new administration to publish a weekly list of crimes committed by immigrants.
The Secretary for Homeland Security will be responsible to “make public a comprehensive list of criminal actions committed by aliens” in the United States, according to the executive order.
The executive order said the list will “better inform the public regarding the public safety threats associated with sanctuary jurisdictions.”
The order does not specify that the list will only contain crimes committed by illegal aliens.
This raises the prospect that offenses committed by any legal immigrant could also be published in the list.
Mexican president cancels meeting with Trump
Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto cancelled a meeting with Trump scheduled for Jan. 31 after Trump signed an executive order pushing forward the construction of the United States-Mexico border wall.
“This morning we have informed the White House that I will not attend the meeting scheduled for next Tuesday with the POTUS,” Peña Nieto tweeted.
Trump’s Twitter pushback came after Peña Nieto said again on Wednesday that his country “will not pay for any wall.” Trump tweeted that they should just skip their scheduled meeting at the White House.
“If Mexico is unwilling to pay for the badly needed wall, then it would be better to cancel the upcoming meeting,” Trump tweeted.
Peña Nieto said he would wait for a report from his officials in Washington and previous meetings with Mexican legislators before deciding what steps he would take next, according to CNN.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer announced Thursday that Trump plans to make Mexico pay for the wall by imposing a 20 percent tax on all imports into the U.S. from Mexico. Spicer said the tax would raise about $10 billion a year.
The wall is estimated to cost between $8 billion and $20 billion, according to the New York Times.
Supreme Court Justice pick is forthcoming
Trump tweeted from the @POTUS account Wednesday night that he will be announcing his Supreme Court pick on Feb. 2.
His top picks are Judge Neil Gorsuch of Colorado, Judge Thomas Hardiman of Pennsylvania and Judge William Pryor Jr. of Alabama, according to Fox News.
Gorsuch, 49, is a United States Circuit Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.
He is considered an advocate for “originalism,” the idea that the Constitution should be interpreted as the Founding Fathers would have more than 200 years ago, and of “textualism,” the idea that statutes should be interpreted literally, according to NPR.
Pryor is seen as the most controversial candidate because he called the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision “the worst abomination of constitutional law in our history,” according to NPR.
Pryor, 54, is a United States Circuit Judge for the Eleventh Circuit. As state attorney general, Pryor filed a brief that supported the right of states to make consenting private homosexual conduct a crime.
Hardiman, 51, is a United States Circuit Judge of the U.S. for the Third Circuit. Hardiman’s legal history includes a 2010 ruling that strip-searching does not violate the fourth amendment.
He also ruled in 2016 that criminals convicted of nonviolent offenses should still be allowed to bear arms.
Sarah Gardner contributed reporting.
