In one of the first executive orders signed by US President Joe Biden on his first day in office, ended the controversial ‘Muslim travel ban’.
The ‘Muslim travel ban’, a Trump policy, blocked travel to the United States from several Muslim-majority and African countries.
Biden directed the State Department to restart visa processing for individuals from the affected countries.
The ‘Muslim Travel Ban’ restricted immigration from 12 Muslim-majority nations: Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Nigeria, Myanmar, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Sudan, Tanzania and North Korea.
Joe Biden signed a total of 15 executive orders shortly after assuming office, undoing policies put in place by his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump.
“Some of the executive orders I’m going to sign are going to help change the course of the COVID crisis, we’re going to combat climate change in a way that we haven’t done so far and advance racial equity and support other underserved communities,” said Biden.
Wearing masks isn’t a partisan issue — it’s a patriotic act that can save countless lives. That’s why I signed an executive order today issuing a mask mandate on federal property. It’s time to mask up, America.
— President Biden (@POTUS) January 21, 2021
Biden has also halted construction of Trump’s border wall with Mexico.
The order includes an ‘immediate termination’ of the national emergency declaration that allowed the Trump administration to redirect billions of dollars to the wall.
We are currently facing four converging crises — COVID-19, the resulting economic crisis, climate change, and racial inequity. Today, President Biden took actions to combat these challenges. pic.twitter.com/091jmvCukk
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 21, 2021