KRG mission in Washington in contact with US gov't on impact of travel ban

WASHINGTON DC, United States--The diplomatic mission of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Washington DC says it is in contact with the US government about the new travel ban, which includes Iraqi citizens, and what it means for various Kurdish groups and individuals currently in the US.

 

“We are working to get more information from the United States Government and a better legal understanding of what the US President's Executive Order means for various Kurdistani groups in America including students, dual nationals and people in the United States with a work visa or residency,” reads a statement from the Kurdistan Regional Government Representation in the US.

 

The statement went on to say that “[We] would like to assure the Kurdistani-American community that we have the well-being of our community at the forefront of our work.”

 

Following a travel ban on seven Muslim countries by an executive order from President Donald Trump, which includes Iraqi citizens and Kurds who hold Iraqi passports, the US consulate in Erbil announced that it had halted processing visa applications.

 

Since the travel ban came into effect, there has been one case of stopping a US-bound traveler from boarding a plane at Erbil International Airport, airport authorities told Rudaw.

 

Being an autonomous region within Iraq, Kurds hold Iraqi passports have been as a result affected by the US government travel ban.