Pentagon Working On a List of Iraqis to Protect From Immigration Ban
Pentagon Working On a List of Iraqis to Protect From Immigration Ban by Tara Copp, Stars & Stripes
The Pentagon is compiling a list of Iraqis who have risked their lives to assist U.S. forces in order to exempt them from an immigration ban announced by President Donald Trump.
The ban was enacted Friday in an executive order signed by Trump at the Pentagon. It prevents citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States for the next 90 days, and Syria indefinitely.
The ban sparked a weekend of protests and confusion worldwide, including in the United States. Many U.S. veterans and some lawmakers argued against the ban for Iraq, noting how Iraqi and U.S. forces work together closely for years, most recently in the battle to retake the city of Mosul from the Islamic State group…
The Pentagon is “in the process of compiling names. There are a number of people in Iraq who have worked for us in a partnership role, whether fighting alongside us or working as translators, often doing so at great peril to themselves,” he said. “We are ensuring those who have demonstrated their commitment tangibly to fight alongside us and support us, that those names are known in whatever process there is going forward.”…