US Mission enforces Trump ban

Dubai - US President Trump's executive order has had a ripple effect on airline and airport operations.

The US Mission in the UAE has announced it will suspend issuing visas to citizens of the seven countries mentioned in the executive order passed by President Donald Trump.
Tweeting from its official handle, @USAinUAE, the mission said: "US visa issuance to citizens of Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen has been suspended until further notification. If you are a national or dual national of one of the listed countries, please do not schedule a visa appointment or pay any visa fees. If you already have an appointment scheduled, please DO NOT ATTEND your appointment as we will not be able to proceed with a visa interview."
Following travel chaos on Saturday, a federal judge in Brooklyn, New York, issued an emergency stay that temporarily blocks the US government from sending people out of the country after they have landed at a US airport with valid visas.
President Trump's executive order has had a ripple effect on airline and airport operations.
According to a Reuters report, Emirates airline has said that it had to change its flight attendant and pilot rosters. Etihad, for its part, said it will apply restrictions on its US-bound flights "effective immediately", and that passengers travelling to the US will need a permanent residency card or diplomatic visa to be able to travel.
Travel agents in Dubai told Khaleej Times that the visa ban will impact businesses here. "We have had many of our clients asking questions as they are concerned about how this will impact what used to be a straight-forward travel booking," said Priya Saxena, operations manager at Cozmo Travel.
Order affects over a million UAE residents
The UAE is home to over a million citizens of the seven Muslim-majority countries that come under the purview of US President Donald Trump's executive order.
Many residents have expressed shock and dismay at the order, which they see as "unfair, unjust, and discriminatory".
A Sudanese citizen, Ahmed Hassan, said his brother - who was in the US with a green card and was doing his PhD - was treated "inhumanely" at the airport and detained for hours before being allowed in.
Syrian expat Mohamad Hattab said: "I think the thought itself is disgusting to segregate people based on their nationalities and that I'm banned from the US just because I am a Syrian."
reporters@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai