The revised draft exempts travelers from the target countries -- Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan and Libya -- who have already obtained visas, regardless of whether the visas have been used, The Associated Press reported. Also exempted are green-card holders and dual citizens of the U.S. and any of the named countries.
Unidentified government officials emphasized to the AP and The Wall Street Journal that the order is in its draft stage and could see further revisions before it is signed by Trump.
>> Related: Trump will issue new 'very comprehensive' immigration order
"It's still being worked on," an official told The Wall Street Journal. The newspaper reported that the new order could be made public as early as Tuesday.
Under the draft order, the secretary of state would have the ability to waive some cases that fall under the ban, with cooperation from the Department of Homeland Security, according to The Wall Street Journal.
It might also rescind the indefinite ban on Syrian refugees that was laid out in the original immigration order. However, The Wall Street Journal noted that State Department and White House officials appeared to have conflicting information on whether the ban would be dropped.
>> Related: Trump's immigration ban: What to know
The draft order maintained an annual cap of 50,000 on refugees entering the U.S., a point which was not challenged in court, according to the AP. The U.S. has already taken in more than 35,000 refugees for 2017, leaving 15,000 vacant spots for the remainder of the year, the wire service reported.
Under President Barack Obama's administration, the refugee cap was 110,000 per year.
Trump said last week that a new immigration order would be forthcoming after a federal court stayed parts of his Jan. 27 order. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals determined that the ban was unlikely to survive court challenges and that the Justice Department failed to provide evidence of national security concerns that would be mitigated by the immigration order.
>> Related: U.S. Appeals Court unanimously upholds suspension of Trump travel ban
The court did not rule on the constitutionality of the ban.
More than 20 lawsuits have been filed since Trump signed the original immigration order last month, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The order banned travelers from the seven named Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. for 90 days, paused the country's refugee program for four months, indefinitely blocked refugees fleeing Syria and directed authorities to prioritize refugee applicants based on the applicant's religion.
>> Related: Protests erupt in response to Trump's executive order on immigration
The order sparked protests nationwide and chaos at airports around the world as refugees and travelers were turned away after landing in the U.S. The draft executive order attempts to deal with potential problems by giving authorities as long as two weeks to see whether the ban will be challenged in court, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The president has criticized the decision to stay the ban and framed the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision as politically motivated. He has argued that the immigration order is necessary to ensure the safety of Americans and American interests.
About the Author