Human Resources Travel Advisory
Last updated February 6, 2017.
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DHS Statement on Compliance with Recent Court Order
WASHINGTON - In accordance with the judge's ruling, DHS has suspended any and all actions implementing the affected sections of the Executive Order entitled, "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States."
This includes actions to suspend passenger system rules that flag travelers for operational action subject to the Executive Order.
DHS personnel will resume inspection of travelers in accordance with standard policy and procedure.
At the earliest possible time, the Department of Justice intends to file an emergency stay of this order and defend the president's Executive Order, which is lawful and appropriate. The order is intended to protect the homeland and the American people, and the president has no higher duty and responsibility than to do so.
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Note: Dual nationals born in one of the seven (7) listed countries holding citizenship in another country should exercise extreme care as "nationality" is based on country of birth - whereas citizenship is a formal legal status. The EO applies to nationals of these designated countries.
We recommend that foreign nationals from other majority-Muslim countries (e.g. Pakistan, Afghanistan, Indonesia, etc.) refrain from non-urgent international travel and where permitted, extend their authorized stay from within the United States.
Looking ahead, due to a shift in government resources and personnel devoted to carrying out the President's Executive Order, we anticipate heightened scrutiny of all visa applications and border admissions (background security checks and administrative processing), longer visa wait times, as well as delays in visa processing and issuance at U.S. Consular posts worldwide.
In short, if you are in the U.S. at present and this EO could pertain to you, do not travel abroad. If you are not sure whether the Executive Order and travel restrictions apply to your situation, please consult with an immigration attorney prior to making any travel plans.
We will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide additional guidance as it becomes available. In the meantime, please contact Human Resources with specific inquiries or urgent travel issues.
Please see below for recent updates:
- Saturday, January 28, 2017: Four judges issued injunctions against the EO, but the injunctions have been applied by U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) with various levels of compliance.
- Sunday, January 29, 2017: United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will consider admission of LPR's to be "in the national interest" and will allow them to enter the U.S.
- Monday, January 30, 2017: The U.S. Embassy & Consulates in the United Kingdom added that dual nationals of the U.K. and one of the seven countries (listed above) are exempt from the EO when traveling on a valid U.K. passport and U.S. visa.
Please note the following:
- The Executive Order (EO) extends the travel ban to 90 days, not 30, as was originally suggested.
- The EO affects "nationals" from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Note: "Nationals" means anyone born in the listed countries, not just citizens of those countries.
- Many travelers, including Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR's) have been detained upon arrival and removed. Many LPR's have been asked and encouraged to file Forms I-407 giving up their permanent residence. Some people have been allowed to enter the U.S. after being detained.
The Department of Homeland Security has announced that it will continue to enforce all of the president's Executive Orders.