There has been a lot of uncertainty and confusion in the days since President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 27 banning any non-U.S. citizen from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia or Yemen from entering the United States for 90 days. The immigration order also indefinitely bars Syrian refugees from entering the country and suspends all refugee admissions for 120 days (while a security review is conducted).
The travel ban has already sparked protests and legal action, with more challenges on the way.
While the countries listed in the travel ban do not have direct business ties with the U.S., there is still much debate over what the ban could mean for the future of U.S. foreign policy and business travel. There is also the social justice aspect to consider as many refugees are seeking to escape from life-threatening environments.
ASAE President and CEO John H. Graham IV, FASAE, CAE voiced his concerns about the travel ban*:
“While ASAE supports strong screening of travelers entering the U.S., it’s clear that this order was too hastily enacted, sparking chaos and confusion across the world. Not only does it concern us in terms of the impact on international attendance at association meetings and conferences, it raises questions about whether we are making policy as a nation based on religion. ASAE urges the administration to clarify the intent of this order and confirm our nation’s commitment to equality and humanitarianism.
“We will be continuing to work with the Meetings Mean Business Coalition and other like-minded organizations to jointly address this issue,” Graham continued. “We will also reach out to our members to see how this ban affects them and their own members, and we’ll be closely monitoring this issue moving forward with a goal toward clarifying the order and making sure our members can operate effectively and facilitate international travel to their conferences and events.”
In addition, the U.S. Travel Association released a statement on Jan. 28 (an excerpt is copied below):
“We recognize the new administration's desire to review visa issuance protocols with respect to countries that have a heightened risk of terrorist activity or weak law enforcement cooperation with our government," said U.S. Travel President and CEO Roger Dow. "We urge the administration to conduct this review quickly, and trust that it will yield an even more secure travel security system that protects international travelers and welcomes them into our country to conduct business and to enjoy our cities, attractions, national parks and landmarks."
*Graham’s statement on Trump’s immigration order was provided by ASAE for distribution to our audience and originally appeared in the following article on the Associations Now industry website.
For more information and analysis on the travel ban:
