American President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday that bans all immigrants and visa holders from seven majority-Muslim countries from entering the US for 90 days, and opens the door to more country-based bans in future.
It also bans all refugee admissions for 120 days — and bans Syrian refugees indefinitely. It sets the US’s refugee quota for 2017 to less than half of the level set by former-President Obama, directs the US to prioritize “religious minorities” for the remaining slots, and bars all refugees from countries that aren’t specifically approved by the US government.
The federal government is now tasked with coming up with a new process to screen everyone hoping to immigrate to the US, one that requires each individual immigrant to prove she or he would be a “positively contributing member of society.”
After massive outcry over the order and protests at around ten airports, the Trump administration issued a waiver of sorts. Homeland Security Secretary John F Kelly issued a statement tweaking the clause that had said even green card holders from countries with a history of terrorism would be stopped.
Kelly said, “In applying the provisions of the president’s executive order, I hereby deem the entry of lawful permanent residents to be in the national interest.”
Trump has busy conducting meetings with CEOs of companies such as Ford and General Motors to create more jobs in the US even before his inauguration. But perhaps, Howard Schultz’s way was not what he had in mind. The Starbucks Chief Executive Officer, in an email to all his employees, announced that the coffee retailer would hire 10,000 refugees around the world over the next five years. He wrote that he would do “everything possible to support and help them to navigate through this confusing period.” He added that the company would focus on hiring immigrants who have served in the US troops as interpreters and support personnel.
Schultz, who is self-admittedly a Hillary Clinton supporter, has also condemned Trump’s order to build a wall on the border with Mexico. In the letter, he added that he would “continue to invest in Mexico” to help the coffee growers in the country.