The right-leaning Wall Street Journal editorial board, often a critic of President Trump and his policy proposals on immigration, said the new temporary ban on refugees is legal, even if it’s bad policy.
In an editorial published Sunday night, the Journal said the president is given wide legal discretion on immigration, but that the implementation of the new ban was done improperly.
“The White House legal review was also slipshod,” the paper said. “The President has wide discretion over refugee policies, and the overall Trump order is no doubt legal. But surely someone in the executive branch knew that anyone who touches down on U.S. soil is entitled to some due process before summary removal.”
Trump announced Saturday that citizens of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen — countries named as “countries of concern” by the Obama administration — are not allowed over the next 90 days to enter the U.S.
The executive order also called for increased scrutiny of refugees, but did not ban all Muslims.
In a statement released Sunday, following nationwide protests over the order, Trump said, “America is a proud nation of immigrants and we will continue to show compassion to those fleeing oppression, but we will do so while protecting our own citizens and border.”
