Portsmouth South MP Flick Drummond has called “totally unacceptable” President Donald Trump’s ban on people from seven mainly Muslim countries entering the US. Mr Trump signed an executive order on Friday halting the US refugee programme for 120 days and travellers who have nationality or dual nationality of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen are not permitted to enter the US for 90 days.
“This order is ill-conceived and discriminatory and I hope the president sits down and thinks long and hard about what he is doing,” said Flick.
“It has caused chaos at airports across the world and is totally unacceptable for a democracy to treat other countries and their people in this way.
“I was actually born in the Yemen and who knows whether this ban would include me, if I was to attempt to enter the United States.
“There also seems to be quite a few holes in this policy. It is open to legal challenge in the US and it appears Canada has been told its dual nationals are not affected by the ban.”
Flick said that the British Government must bring its influence to bear on this issue as the new US administration beds in.
“I share the concerns of many people on the direction the US is taking on several fronts, but now is not the time to stop talking with our closest ally.
“We need to be a constructive, and a critical friend to the US, to try and influence President Trump. The Prime Minister has successfully started a relationship with him and that has already gained important concessions over his commitment to NATO.
“Over the weekend Theresa May made it clear she did not agree with these travel restrictions and I know the British government will be in dialogue with its US counterparts on this issue.”
Flick added that every country has a right to protect its borders and citizens but such a ban, so quickly and poorly implemented and so discriminatory, could actually have the effect of making the US more of a target for terror attacks.