IOM, UNHCR analyzing US executive order on border, immigration

GENEVA

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) on Tuesday said that they are evaluating the US executive order on border and immigration to assess how it would affect their work.

"Our team here in IOM, we are pretty much in the process of providing and analyzing the executive orders to basically see the implication this has on our work," spokesperson Kennedy Omondi said in response to Anadolu's question at a UN briefing in Geneva.

"And I think you'll bear with us at this moment, once we have a more in-depth analysis of what this means, then we should be able to provide feedback to you," Omondi said, adding that the agency is still in the process of just providing an analysis of what implication this has since the document just came up.

Shabia Mantoo, UNHCR spokesperson, reiterated what Omondi said for her part, and added: "We're also currently reviewing the new executive order and ... we are aware about the potential (issues) ... but we'll have to wait for that to happen and then come back to you."

On Monday, newly inaugurated US President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring a national emergency at the southern US border that paves the way to deploy American troops there.

"All illegal entry (to the US) will immediately be halted," Trump said.

"We will reinstate my 'Remain in Mexico' policy" to "repel the disastrous invasion" of the country, he added.