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Problems 'resolved' for German dual citizens under Trump's travel ban

DPA/The Local
DPA/The Local - [email protected]
Problems 'resolved' for German dual citizens under Trump's travel ban
Syrian and German passports. Photo: DPA.

American President Donald Trump's travel ban initially looked to block more than 100,000 German dual citizens from entering the US, but now the two allies say they have found a solution.

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Acting commissioner of US Customs and Border Protection, Kevin McAleenan, said on Tuesday that travelers would be evaluated based on the passport they present rather than their dual citizen status, even if they have citizenship in one of the seven predominantly Muslim countries with temporary blocks.

This was the first clarification about what the bans mean for people with dual citizenship, after US embassies, including Berlin’s, issued statements indicating that dual citizens were included in the bans.

The update on Tuesday means that people who are citizens of one of the seven countries as well as another country not named in the ban will be able to enter the US.

EU migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos explained that this applies to people with European citizenship.

“[I am] glad that issue of EU dual nationals is resolved,” Avramopoulos wrote on Twitter.

Useful and constructive phone call with DHS Secretary John F Kelly. Glad that issue of EU dual nationals is resolved. Will meet Kelly soon.

— DimitrisAvramopoulos (@Avramopoulos) January 31, 2017

Trump's executive order issued on Friday suspends all refugee admissions into the United States for 120 days, bars all Syrians indefinitely, and blocks citizens of seven mostly Muslim countries for 90 days.

German politicians were concerned about what it would mean for the more than 130,000 dual citizens, including the Green party’s German-Iranian representative Omid Nouripour, who is the vice chair of a German-American parliamentary group.

The Green party even went so far as to demand a travel ban for Trump, who is scheduled to visit Hamburg for the G20 summit in July.

Germany’s Transatlantic Coordinator Jürgen Hardt said that German dual citizens may no longer fear being banned from travelling to the US.

“Germans who also have passports for the seven countries affected by the travel ban can as of now request a visa under the previous conditions,” Hardt told publishing group Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland after speaking with US State Department officials.

Trump’s executive orders on immigration have sparked a global outcry and criticism from both Democrats and Republicans in the US. The move sparked immediate anger, confusion and protests in airports across the United States.

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