President Trump signed a new executive order on Monday to replace a previous order that restricted travel into the United States from several foreign countries. The new order maintains the restriction from six of the seven countries in the original one—Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen—while removing the restriction on travel from Iraq.
“Iraq presents a special case,” the new order reads. “The close cooperative relationship between the United States and the democratically elected Iraqi government, the strong United States diplomatic presence in Iraq, the significant presence of United States forces in Iraq, and Iraq’s commitment to combat ISIS justify different treatment for Iraq.” Since the original directive was issued, the new order continues, “the Iraqi government has expressly undertaken steps to enhance travel documentation, information sharing, and the return of Iraqi nationals subject to final orders of removal.”
