David Miliband: The harmful myth behind Trump’s travel ban

The President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, David Miliband, recently wrote for the Guardian regarding President Trump’s planned travel ban.

In the article Miliband called the ban “cruel and counterproductive”, arguing that it was “stranding some of the most vulnerable and most vetted people in the world”.

Nationals from six countries – Iran, Syria, Libya, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen – are subject to the ban. The order leaves in place a suspension of the US refugee programme for 120 days but drops special treatment of Syrian refugees, who are no longer subject to an indefinite ban.

Miliband explains that the revised ban imposes a 120-day moratorium on refugee arrivals. That immediately leaves families who have passed the vetting procedure stranded. “We estimate there are 60,000 refugees in this category. Some will have sold everything in anticipation of travel. Others will have terminated leases on rented housing.”

As the head of the International Rescue Committee, Miliband is wise to the severe implications of the travel ban, even after its revision. The IRC assists millions of people around the world whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster, helping them to survive, recover and regain control of their future.

To read the Guardian article in full, click here.

To read more about David Miliband, click here.

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