Trump visa ban: What 'extreme vetting' really means

Signs that Trump had the ban in mind and the list of Muslim countries exempted from the ban

Donald Trump has come under a lot of fire for banning travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries. Protestors took to the streets to disapprove, Internet came in support of those banned, and top tech giants have issued statements denouncing the ban. 
Trump issued an executive order on Friday banning refugees and citizens from 7 Muslim-majority nations to the United States. While signing at the Pentagon, the US president said, "We are establishing new vetting measures, to keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the United States of America. We don't want them here. We want to ensure we aren't admitting into our country the very threats that our men and women are fighting overseas."
We bring to you what this "extreme vetting" process means:
1. It bans entry from seven Muslim-majority countries like Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days. The ban has unfortunately also denied the entry of legal US residents with green cards to re-enter the country. The White House yesterday issued a statement that green card holders who left the United States and want to return would have to visit a US embassy or consulate to undergo additional screening.
2. It suspends the Syrian refugee program indefinitely until "significant changes" are made. This is quite contrary to the stance taken by the Obama government last year. The country accepted 13,210 Syrian refugees in 2016 (99.1 per cent Muslims), up 675 per cent from 2015.                
3. The order caps the total number of refugees entering the United States in 2017 to 50,000. Pew research mentions that the US admitted 117,274 in 2016 during the Obama administration, so the new number is half the figure.
4. It suspends the US refugee admissions system for 120 days. America, before this order, already had a rigorous vetting process in place, taking 18 to 24 months and extensive background checks through multiple federal agencies but Trump has advocated he wants more processes in place.
5. It prioritises refugee claims on the basis of religious persecution, as long as the applicant is a minority in their country of origin. Trump had said in an interview with CBN on Friday that his administration will place an emphasis on helping persecuted Christians in the Mena region. "If you were a Muslim, you could come in, but if you were a Christian, it was almost impossible, and the reason that was so unfair," he said in the interview.
SIGNS THAT THE IMMIGRATION BAN WAS COMING
1. In December 2015, Donald Trump took to his hardline stance by calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on.
As part of his election promise, he has said he would clamp down both, immigration and Islam. In his own words, "Without looking at the various polling data, it is obvious to anybody the hatred is beyond comprehension. Where this hatred comes from and why we will have to determine. Until we are able to determine and understand this problem and the dangerous threat it poses, our country cannot be the victims of horrendous attacks by people that believe only in war, and have no sense of reason or respect for human life. If I win the election for President, we are going to Make America Great Again."
2. Donald Trump set the tone for his move even before taking office. After the December 2016 attack, where a truck ploughed into a Christmas market, killing 12 people, Donald Trump issued a statement. He was quoted saying: "Daesh and other terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global war." He has expressed concerns over the terrorist attacks in Europe and wants the United States to be a safe haven.
WHICH COUNTRIES ARE EXEMPTED FROM THE BAN?
While Donald Trump took the hard-hitting decision of banning entry of citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries like Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days, few Muslim countries escaped being part of this order.
Surprisingly, it has been noted that the countries banned are the ones where Trump Empire does not have any business interests. Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, UAE and few more have been exempted.
Trump has licensed his name to two luxury towers in Istanbul and there is also a line of Trump-banded home furnishings, so it comes as no surprise that Turkey isn't part of the ban.
Early this year, during his first press conference, Trump had said that he was offered a $2 billion deal by a company in Dubai but he turned it down to avoid conflict of interest.
Among the unbanned countries are few that are terror-prone like Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia. 
anita@khaleejtimes.com