Community reacts to new travel ban

MEDFORD -- The Trump administration said protecting the country from terrorist entry is the goal of the new travel ban.

It takes effect March 16th, and will last for 90 days. It applies to six countries, removing Iraq from the list. Immigration attorney Yaschar Sarparast said this gives lawyers more time to prepare.

"It's what we all asked for from the beginning which is hey, this other executive ban that came into effect is so harsh and so fast nobody could prepare for it, including the immigration officers and border officers who didn't know what to do with it. So it created chaos," Sarparast said.

The new ban does not apply to those with travel documents, and the ban on Syrians went from indefinite to 120 days. Political scientists Michael Torguson said because of continuing controversies, the new executive order will likely be taken to court as well.

"As soon as it is implemented. One of the people through the immigrants rights project at the ACLU said that it's a step backward but it is still a thinly veiled attack on Muslims," Torguson said.

The professor said presidents like Jimmy Carter have put travel bans into place before, although he said the reasoning on the current ban is more ambiguous.

"We want them to come in knowing that they love the United States and don't want to do us harm. We don't have a "here's the threat, here's the harm, here's what's going to happen...therefore we need to do this," Torguson said.

The attorney general said this is a needed pause to review the screening process of tho comes into the United States.

Local lawmakers have responded to the travel ban, saying it's a threat to national security. Senator Jeff Merkley said the executive order is attempting to solve a problem that does not exist.

"ISIS portrays the US as conducting a war on Islam, and this obsession of the President to label these countries feeds right into their propaganda and makes Americans less secure," Senator Merkley said.

The senator said he's also concerned with the 120 day ban on Syrians. He said this is not necessary with the current vetting process on refugees.