Washington, Jan 29 (EFE).- Reince Preibus, President Donald Trump’s chief of staff, said Sunday that the temporary ban on allowing entry to citizens of seven Muslim-majority nations will not affect people holding “green cards,” although they will have to subject themselves to greater scrutiny.
“As far as green card holders going forward, it doesn’t affect them,” Priebus told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Green card holders have the right to work in the United States and later to acquire citizenship, and they will not be barred from reentering the country if they leave temporarily.
However, Priebus went on to say that “If you’re traveling back and forth, you’re going to be subjected to additional screening.”
“I would suspect that if you’re an American citizen traveling back and forth to Libya, you’re likely to be subjected to additional screening,” he said.
When asked what this would mean, Priebus responded that additional screening for these people will depend on the “discretion” of the customs official who processes their reentry.
The chief of staff, thus seemed to contradict another government official who said on Saturday that US residents definitely will need to get waivers from US consulates to return to the country and those situations will be determined on a case by case basis.
The president sparked enormous controversy and confusion, both domestically and abroad, last Friday by signing the executive order designed to combat jihadist terrorism.
The order suspends for 120 days the entry of all refugees and the issuing of visas for 90 days for citizens from seven countries, which have histories of terrorism and terrorist activity – Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Iran – until new mechanisms can be put in place to screen them more effectively.
Meanwhile, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani told Fox News that Trump, “When he first announced it, he said ‘Muslim ban.’ He called me up. He said, ‘Put a commission together. Show me the right way to do it legally.'”
Giuliani, one of Trump’s close advisers during the presidential campaign, said he spoke with U.S. Reps. Mike McCaul (R-Texas) and Peter King (R-N.Y.), as well as “a group of very expert lawyers” on the subject.
“And … instead of religion (we focused on) danger … The areas of the world that create danger for us. Which is a factual basis, not a religious basis. Perfectly legal, perfectly sensible. And that’s what the ban is based on.”