Airline crew members are not exempt from the new U.S. travel ban that restricts the entry into the U.S. of non-citizens from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Somali, Sudan, and Yemen, according to the Air Line Pilots Association. “We recommend that green-card holders from the above countries not accept assignments outside the U.S. until the government has confirmed that they will be permitted to return to the U.S. without challenge,” ALPA wrote on Monday. “As of this moment, statements from the U.S. government have not provided assurance on this point.” On Tuesday afternoon, ALPA told AVweb that advice has not changed. “No new updates,” ALPA wrote. “Our guidance from the weekend remains the same.” The International Air Transport Association also asked for more “clarity” from the U.S. government regarding the new requirements.
“Entry requirements for the United States were changed significantly and immediately by an Executive Order (EO) issued 27 January 2017,” IATA wrote at their website. “The EO was issued without prior coordination or warning, causing confusion among both airlines and travelers. It also placed additional burdens on airlines to comply with unclear requirements, to bear implementation costs and to face potential penalties for non-compliance. We ask for early clarity from the U.S. administration on the current situation.” On Sunday, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly issued a statement that unless the government had information indicating a serious threat to public safety and welfare, residency would be a “dispositive factor in our case-by-case determination,” which appears to mean that holders of green cards will be allowed to re-enter the U.S. “Green card” is slang for an official permit that allows a foreign-born person to reside and work in the U.S. on a permanent basis.
On Wednesday, ALPA said John Kelly, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, had issued a statement saying that “absent the receipt of significant derogatory information indicating a serious threat to public safety and welfare, lawful permanent resident status will be a dispositive factor in our case-by-case determinations” of the right of lawful residents to enter the country. ALPA said, “Our understanding of Secretary Kelly’s statement is that green-card holders will be allowed entry into the country under the terms of the Executive Order titled ‘Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States,’ but each pilot should confirm with his or her company that they have the same understanding and that they will be able to enter the United States without challenge.”
