Halfway Through, Trump Coming Up Empty on Travel Ban

NBC News, Aug. 14, 2017 - "President Donald Trump’s travel ban hits its halfway mark this week, and experts say the administration does not have much to show for it. After several court setbacks, the Supreme Court allowed the administration to reinstate most of the ban, which runs for a total of 90 days. There is scant evidence the ban is strengthening national security or laying the foundation for more long-term reforms to immigration vetting, according to over a dozen security and immigration experts and former government officials surveyed by NBC News. ... It is hard to know exactly what the administration has done for its review or what recent data tell us about the ban. In an emailed statement, Department of Homeland Security press secretary David Lapan said the agency had completed its review and submitted a report to Trump on July 10. On Monday, when asked about the report, neither the White House nor the Department of Homeland Security would provide NBC News with a copy. “The President’s travel order, refugee ceiling and heightened vetting requirements are vital to keeping America safe,” a White House official said. “Foreign terrorists are constantly trying to infiltrate the United States through migratory flows and we cannot allow a sanctuary for terrorists and extremists on our shores and in our communities. The Administration will continue to take necessary and lawful action to keep violent radicals from entering our country.” While DHS has yet to make any affirmative policy pronouncements, Betsy Lawrence, director of government relations for the American Immigration Lawyers Association, a liberal group, said people are getting stopped at the border more frequently. "We are hearing about people being questioned more heavily when coming into ports of entry by Customs and Border Patrol," she said. On July 12, the State Department told consular posts in a cable that the results of the worldwide review had been sent to the president. Although the cable made reference to the report, the administration has said very little publicly about any findings or any formal policy changes. The administration has not shared, for example, the list of the countries the government deems unwilling or unable to share requested information about their nationals. "Everyone’s kind of waiting with baited breath to see if there will be some kind official announcement related to the new policy," Lawrence added."