Dutch-Iranians can travel to U.S. afterall

People with a dual nationality are still welcome to travel to the United States, spokesperson Kevin McAleenan of the U.S. Border Guard said at a press conference. On Tuesday a number of Dutch-Iranians launched a petition against Donald Trump's decree to close the American borders for people from seven Muslim countries, which at the time seemed to include them. McAleenan gave a bit more clarity on the matter, AD reprots.

"Travelers at the border are assessed on the basis of the passport that they show", McAleenan said. "So ot on the basis of dual nationality. If you are a citizen of the United Kingdom, you hand over the passport of that country."

According to McAleenan, some organizations interpreted the new rules too strictly. However, he added tha communication on the matter could have been a lot better.

On Friday Trump signed a decree with extreme entry requirements for asylum seekers and other people from countries with ties to terrorism. He added seven Muslim countries to the list, effectively closing the American borders to anyone from those countries. Countries currently on the list are Libya, Sudan, Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Somalia and Syria. The decree led to protests across the world, including in the Netherlands.

John Kelly, the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary, said that some of the countries currently affected by the travel ban will not be removed from the list any time soon. "If countries are in various stages of collapse, for example", he said according to AD. Other countries may be added to the list if they do not succeed in "tightening procedures" to allow for more reliable screening.