Yahoo News Donald Trump planning to re-implement immigration ban, exempting green card holders
Donald Trump plans to re-implement his immigration travel ban, but without preventing green card holders and those already mid-flight from entering the United States, his secretary for homeland security said on Saturday.
The president's initial attempt to block travel from seven Muslim-majority countries and refugees was frozen by American courts after it prompted mass protests and chaos at airports nationwide.
"The president is contemplating releasing a tighter, more streamlined version of the first (order)," John Kelly said, speaking at the Munich Security Conference.
He promised "a short phase-in period" in which those already boarded on a plane bound for the United States would not have their visas revoked.
Mr Trump's original order, which he said was meant to head off attacks by Islamic extremists barred people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering for 90 days and excluded all refugees for 120 days, except those from Syria, who were banned indefinitely.
This ban became ensnared in the courts as human rights groups and some politicians argued that the order was unconstitutional. Rather than the case in the Supreme Court Mr Trump has decided to cancel that executive order, and simply write a new one with these changes.
The news came as it was reported that David Petraeus, the former CIA director has been dropped as a candidate for national security adviser, after said he would require a disciplined procedure for developing security policy in the White House.
Profile | General David Petraeus
Mr Petraeus, a retired four star general, also wanted to choose his national security council staff, informed official sources said, but Mr Trump thought the demand was unreasonable.
Last week Robert Harward, a vice admiral turned down the post after the administration rejected similar demands.
Mr Trump is searching for someone to replace Michael Flynn, who was forced to step down after less than three weeks after it emerged he had misled the vice president about a conversation he had with the Russian ambassador to the US.
The president is meeting this weekend with possible candidates for the role at the Mar-a-Lago, his private club in Florida which he calls "the southern White House".
Keith Kellogg, his acting national security adviser, and John Bolton, former US ambassador to the United Nations are among those being considered.
