Travelers Being Detained At Airports As President Trump’s Order Takes Effect

Hameed Khalid Darweesh was finally released after being detained upon his attempted entry into the U.S.

Border Security Plans Starting To Have Impact On Travelers

Travelers into the U.S. from majority-Muslim countries are being detained upon entry, as President Trump’s order to prohibit entry takes effect.

President Trump had ordered a 90 ban on any citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering the United States.

New York Times reports that an Iranian scientist heading to a lab in Boston and an Iraqi who has worked for the U.S. Army for the last decade were detained as they tried to enter the U.S.

Hameed Khalid Darweesh spent 10 years as an army interpreter in Iraq and has a valid U.S. visa. As he tried to fly to Texas to be with his wife who was working for a U.S. contractor, he was detained. Many other reports like this are reportedly happening around the country.

Mr. Darweesh had been granted a special visa because he was targeted in Iraq for working with the U.S. Army. After his lawyers filed a motion to let him into the U.S., he was finally released.

Upon release, Mr. Darweesh called America the greatest nation in the world and said he was thankful for the people who had worked on his behalf. “This is the humanity, this is the soul of America,” he said. “This is what pushed me to move, leave my country and come here.”

“We’ve gotten reports of people being detained all over the country,” said Becca Heller, the director of the International Refugee Assistance Project. “They’re literally pouring in by the minute.”

Legal permanent U.S. residents have reportedly been stopped as they tried to board planes to return home to the U.S. The Department of Homeland Security said that the executive order prohibits green card holders from the affected countries from re-entering the United States after leaving to visit their families abroad.

Confusion appears abound about how the President’s order is to be interpreted, with it being handled differently at various airports. One student with a green cards was reportedly held for eight hours before being allowed to continue into the U.S. The speed at which the order went into affect is causing government agencies to scramble to catch up.

It’s expected that over the next week, the policies will be clarified and fewer people will attempt entry.

It’s not clear what President Trump’s plan is at the end of the travel restriction, but he’s possibly just buying time to implement his immigration overhaul. Unfortunately, there’s no way to tell how many terrorists are kept out by this plan.

Clearly there are some growing pains, but do you think that overall the travel restrictions will be worth it? We’d like to know your thoughts. Please let us know on our Facebook page or in the comments below.