Caribbean nationals worried about Trump's immigration ban

There is panic among some members of the Jamaican diaspora and other Caribbean nationals in the United States following the travel ban imposed by President Donald Trump.           
  
Mr. Trump announced on the weekend a four-month hold on allowing refugees into the United States and temporarily barred travellers from Syria and six other Muslim-majority countries, provoking a worldwide backlash and protests at U.S. airports.  
  
Joan Pinnock, a member of the Jamaica Diaspora Advisory Board in the US, said although the Caribbean is not included in the executive order, a lot of Jamaicans and other Caribbean nationals are "terrified" as they are uncertain about their status.

She said she had received a report that at least one Jamaican was given papers on his arrival in the United States, requesting whether he would be willing to relinquish his green card.

"President Trump also said he was going to remove 11 million undocumented people from the United Sates and that's where our Caribbean people fall into that category," Ms Pinnock outlined as another cause for concern.

She said if President Trump carries out his plan to remove these undocumented immigrants, "hundreds of thousands" of Caribbean nationals could be at risk.

Criticism 

In the meantime, hundreds of US diplomats around the world are set to formally criticise President Donald Trump's immigration restrictions.
   
Officials told the BBC that a "dissent cable" has been drafted for senior state department officials. 
   
The White House said those complaining should "get with the programme". 
    
In the wake of Mr. Trump's ban, former President Barack Obama has spoken out against discrimination based on faith or religion.
   
In a statement, his spokesman, Kevin Lewis, said Mr. Obama was also heartened by the level of engagement taking place across the Unites States.
         
Airlines angry

Meanwhile, airlines around the world reacted angrily on Monday to an abrupt change in U.S immigration policy, saying they were struggling to enforce unclear rules, faced unexpected additional costs and were worried they could be fined if  they get it wrong.

Global airlines association IATA, representing 265 airlines, today said the order was issued without prior coordination or warning, causing confusion among travelers and its own members, who are now at the forefront of  implementing the rules. 
  
In a statement, it called for more clarity and additional notice in the future.   
  
Should passengers be refused entry to a country, it is generally the responsibility of an airline to provide assistance to the individuals and return them to their country of origin.            
  
Airlines have to abide by immigration rules and usually check passengers have the requisite visa or permission to travel during check-in or before boarding. 
    
One Gulf airline executive who declined to be named complained U.S. customs and border protection officials started notifying airlines and airports at the same time as the media reports came out.
  
Other airlines were informed about the new rules in conference calls with U.S. authorities.
  
Dutch airline KLM, which stopped seven passengers from traveling on Saturday, said the sudden changes had caused them distress. 
  
Mr. Trump took to Twitter on Monday to defend the abrupt order. He wrote: "If the ban were announced with a one week notice, the 'bad' would rush into our country during that week."