Claims to the contrary, The order is not a “Muslim ban.” It does apply restrictions to immigrants from seven countries – as it happens, the identical seven countries that President Obama designated for restrictions and extra controls. The order stops citizens from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen from entering the U.S. for the next 90 days. President Obama signed a law that imposed restrictions on certain travelers who had visited Iran, Iraq, Sudan, or Syria on or after March 1, 2011, and later, President Obama added Libya, Somalia, and Yemen to the list, because of, he said, “the growing threat from foreign terrorist fighters.” There are some 40-other majority Muslim-countries in the world on which the Trump administration did not impose immigration restrictions. The new order puts a 120-day halt on refugee admissions from Syria, during which time the vetting process is to be improved.
Yes, the order could have been implemented differently, and the Trump administration bought some trouble in the way this was done, much like the Obama Administration injured itself with the botched roll-out of Healthcare.gov.