The White House said it has issued updated guidance on President Donald Trump's executive order on immigration clarifying that legal permanent residents, or green-card holders, do not require a waiver to enter the United States.
"They no longer need a waiver...if they are a legal permanent resident," and the White House counsel has issued updated guidance clarifying that point, presidential spokesman Sean Spicer said on February 1,
The restriction on green-card holders was among the most confusing elements in the order signed on January 27 that temporarily bans refugees and visitors from select Muslim-majority countries.
Initially, administration officials said green-card holders from those countries were barred from entry under the order, although they could apply for a waiver and be rescreened.
After an outcry and court challenges over legal residents being detained, the Homeland Security Department said green-card holders would be allowed on planes to the United States and would be screened upon arrival, with "swift entry" likely.
By January 31, more than 1,000 green-card holders had been let in under a special waiver, but Spicer said that for "the sake of efficiency," green-card holders "no longer need a waiver."
