President Biden reversed his predecessor’s controversial travel ban on his first day in office, but is still denying entry to thousands of people affected by it, infuriating progressive lawmakers who denounced the position as “unacceptable”.
The State Department announced on Monday night that most U.S. visa applicants whose applications were denied under former President Donald Trump’s travel ban in 13 Muslim-majority countries and African countries can seek new decisions or submit New requests.
But that policy does not extend to a significant group: the thousands of individuals who have received “diversity visas”, which are intended to increase immigration from countries that normally do not receive many visas, during the Trump administration’s fiscal years.
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State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement on Monday that these individuals are still prohibited from receiving visas if they have not yet received them because “the deadlines for issuing visas in these fiscal years have expired”.
The decision drew a quick rebuke from several progressive members of Congress, who urged Biden to reconsider the policy.
“The damage cycle must be broken,” tweeted MP Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass. “This is unacceptable.”
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., Echoed that sentiment, calling the news “irritating”.
Biden reversed the travel ban on his first day in office, calling it a “stain on our national conscience”. He gave the State Department 45 days to present a plan that would allow individuals from affected countries to have their visa applications reconsidered.
Also according to the plan announced on Monday, recipients of the “diversity visa” are eligible to enter the lottery again, but have no way to rectify their denial under Trump’s travel ban.
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The American Civil Liberties Union, one of several groups that challenged the initial ban, misrepresented the Biden government on the issue, warning that it will eventually “cement Trump’s legacy of damage”.
“President Biden just dusted Trump’s ‘CLOSED’ sign and locked the door behind him,” ACLU lawyer Manar Waheed said in a statement. “This decision threatens to permanently prevent thousands of black and brown immigrants who meet all legal requirements to immigrate to the United States, perpetuating the effects of discriminatory prohibition.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News.