Talking Points: U.S. Travel Ban (March 30, 2017)

Talking Points – U.S. Travel Ban

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The following Talking Points can be used in conversations with the media and clients who have questions about the executive order banning certain travelers from entering the United States. (Updated March 30, 2017)

1. In separate rulings, U.S. federal judges halted the revised Executive Order which would’ve barred citizens of six Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. for 90 days.

2. We are here to assist our clients; their safety and well-being is our top priority.

3. We provide the facts so our clients can make informed decisions about their travel plans.

Below you will find additional information, supporting material and statistics to help further illustrate each talking point.

1. In separate rulings, U.S. federal judges halted the revised Executive Order which would’ve barred citizens of six Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. for 90 days.

 On March 29, an injunction was issued by Hawaii’s U.S. District Court Judge, Derrick Watson, which now blocks the Executive Order – more commonly referred to as the U.S. travel ban – indefinitely.

o According to The New York Times, “A federal judge in Hawaii decided [March 29] to extend his order blocking President Trump’s travel ban. The judge, Derrick Watson of Federal District Court, issued the longer-lasting hold on the ban just hours after hearing arguments.

o CNN reported, “[Judge] Watson’s earlier decision was only a limited freeze of the executive order through a temporary restraining order. As a result, the plaintiffs asked the judge to convert that decision into a longer-term preliminary injunction and Watson agreed Wednesday night, meaning that the President’s 90-day ban on foreign nationals from six Muslim-majority countries and the 120-ban on all refugees entering the country are now blocked indefinitely, unless any higher court changes Watson’s order or the state’s lawsuit is otherwise resolved.”

o According to Politico: “In a ruling [March 29], U.S. District Court Judge Derrick Watson converted the temporary restraining order he issued into a preliminary injunction. He did not alter his earlier instruction that the federal government be barred from implementing a ban on issuance of visas to citizens of six majority-Muslim countries and from carrying out a plan to suspend refugee admissions worldwide.”

 “An appeal to the San Francisco-based 9th Circuit Court of Appeals is expected. Last month, a three-judge panel of that court declined to disturb a Seattle-based federal judge’s broad order blocking key parts of Trump’s original executive order.”

 A temporary freeze of the revised U.S. travel ban was ordered by U.S. District Judge Watson of Hawaii on March 15, 2017.

o According to Reuters, “In granting the temporary restraining order in response to a lawsuit by the state of Hawaii, U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson found on

 

[March 15] that ‘a reasonable, objective observer … would conclude that the executive order was issued with a purpose to disfavor a particular religion.’”

 On March 16, 2017, a federal judge in Maryland blocked the portion of the Executive Order that included a 90-day ban on immigration for citizens of six countries.

o The New York Times reported: “In the Maryland case, Judge Theodore D. Chuang …declined to block the entire executive order from going into effect, but ruled that the most important section — banning travel from half a dozen countries — could not be enforced. His decision cited Mr. Trump’s public comments to conclude that there were ‘strong indications that the national security purpose is not the primary purpose for the travel ban,’ and that Mr. Trump may have intended to violate the constitutional prohibition on religious preferences.”

 The revised Executive Order barring citizens from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering the U.S. for 90 days, was set to go into effect on March 16.

o According to the U.S. State Department: “On March 6, 2017, President Trump signed a new ‘Executive Order on Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States’ which directs us to review current screening procedures, while protecting national security – our top priority when issuing visas.”

o The Wall Street Journal reported, “The new order doesn’t ban citizens of Iraq, one of many changes made to an original order in hopes of putting the measures on stronger legal and political footing.”

 Individuals who have legal status as U.S. citizens, or via green cards and visas, are exempt from the new travel ban.

o According to CNN.com, “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.”

o Reuters reports “The White House official said the new executive order also ensures that tens of thousands of legal permanent residents in the United States – or green card holders – from the listed countries would not be affected by the travel ban.”

 Originally, on January 27, 2017, a Presidential Executive Order was signed banning nationals of seven countries from entering the United States for at least the next 90 days. Those countries include: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

o On January 28, an emergency stay of the Executive Order was issued by a federal judge in Brooklyn, New York. This halted any deportations of travelers caught up in the ban and effectively allowed travelers with valid visas who have been held at U.S. airports to continue with their travel plans.

o On February 3, according to TheHill.com, “U.S. District Judge James Robart in Seattle temporarily suspends the executive order from being enforced nationwide… and on February 5, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit “denies the Justice Department’s request to restore the travel ban, pending full consideration of the motion.”

2. We are here to assist our clients; their safety and well-being is our top priority.

 Whether traveling domestically or internationally, our number one priority is always our clients’ safety and well-being.

 

 As professional travel agents, we are trained to monitor situations, from weather delays to political protests, that may impact clients’ travel plans. As such, we are also in a position to work on alternative travel plans and have those in place the moment the need arises.

 We strongly encourage all of our clients, whether they are traveling domestically or internationally, to purchase travel insurance, particularly right at the same time as travel has been booked. Travel insurance offers an additional layer of protection for travelers and can potentially help save a traveler hundreds or thousands of dollars if a medical or travel emergency occurs.

3. We provide the facts so our clients can make informed decisions about their travel plans.

 We closely monitor the latest news and weather updates, as well as the U.S. State Department website, for travel alerts and travel warnings for all destinations, including those that are most popular with our clients.

 Should we become aware of an issue for a specific destination, we alert clients who may be planning to travel so they can determine for themselves if they still wish to continue with their original travel plans

 Also, should we become aware of an issue for a specific destination where a client is currently located, we try to immediately contact the client to check on their well-being and work to assist them if they require alternate travel arrangements.

 We believe in providing the facts as we know them to our clients so they may make informed decisions regarding every aspect of their travel plans.

 It’s in situations like these that the traveling public understands how it pays to have someone serving as their advocate.