Mac Mceachin: Iraqi Interpreters and Executive Action

mac mceachin: The order being considered by the Trump administration probably would affect Iraqi interpreters who apply for the Special Immigrant Visa, said Mac McEachin, a national security policy associate at the International Refugee Assistance Project, according to Toronto Star. If authorized, the executive action would temporarily block visas from seven countries for 30 days and suspend the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program for 120 days. Warrick Page / Getty Images By Thomas Gibbons-Neff The Washington Post Fri., Jan. 27, 2017 A proposed executive order that would reduce the number of immigrants and refugees from the Middle East and North Africa will likely affect thousands of Iraqi interpreters and soldiers that served alongside U.S. troops and have applied for United States visas, according to two refugee and immigrant advocacy groups familiar with the draft document. We're trying to prepare for any eventuality, McEachin said. Besides Iraq, those countries outlined in the draft are Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya and Somalia. Though a far cry from President Donald Trump's call during the election campaign for a complete shutdown on Muslim immigration, the move is aimed at immigrants and refugees from countries whose citizens would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, according to the document. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.