President Trump’s travel ban suspended but some still concerned

Last Friday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning citizens from seven countries from traveling into the U.S.

“People said, ‘I’m not even going to go outside my house’ so it is a shock and people are very nervous and very afraid,” said Sulaiman Shagur, a professor of geology at El Paso Community College who also runs a Mediterranean restaurant on El Paso’s west side.

On Saturday, Shagur heard the news U.S. District Judge James Robart placed a hold on the president’s travel ban.

“To be honest with you, it was a big relief,” Shagur said.

The Department of Homeland Security issued this statement on Saturday:

“In accordance with the judge’s ruling, DHS has suspended any and all actions implementing the affected sections of the executive order entitled, ‘Protecting the nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States.'”

DHS added, “DHS personnel will resume inspection of travelers in accordance with standard policy and procedure.”

For Shagur and others there is still uncertainty.

“I was talking to some friends yesterday. They cannot even travel from here to Dallas. They fear the ban,” Shagur said.

With the travel ban declared last week, a suspension of the ban this week and the Department of Justice stating it will defend the president’s executive order, Shagur says there’s confusion.

“I’ve been in this country for almost four years. I am a citizen of this country and I am confused myself,” Shagur said.

Civil liberties groups and several states say the travel ban is unconstitutional. Shagur says he’s not sure about how the laws will play out but he does know one thing.

“From a humanitarian point of view this is sad to see. This is the best country in the world, the United States. This is the country with the best constitution, opportunity, equal rights, freedom of speech, freedom of religion and now you can’t even travel,” Shagur said.