Executive Order 13769

Executive Order 13769, also called Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States, is an executive order signed by United States President Donald Trump on January 27, 2017. It limits travel to the United States from some countries and by all refugees.

The order said that no more than 50,000 refugees could be let into the United States in fiscal year 2017 until it was deemed to be in the national interest by President Trump. It stopped the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) for 120 days (about four months). After that 120 days, the program would start again for individual countries. The order also stopped the entry of refugees from Syria. The order tells some Cabinet secretaries to stop entry of nationals from countries that do not meet adjudication standards under the Immigration and Nationality Act. The United States Department of Homeland Security lists these countries as Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

The Department of Homeland Security later allowed green card holders and dual nationals of other countries to enter the United States. However, they had to have a passport or nationality of a non-listed country.

There were many lawsuits that tried to stop the order. One was State of Washington v. Trump, which resulted in a temporary restraining order (TRO). The TRO was issued on February 3, 2017. It stopped much of the executive order. The issue is about whether the order is legal and whether it is against the United States Constitution.

More than 100 travelers were held. They were held for hours without family or legal assistance. Up to 60,000 visas were taken away.

Protests against the order took place in airports and cities.

The order was criticized by Democratic and Republican members of U.S. Congress, Catholic bishops, business leaders and universities.