[JURIST] White House [official website] Press Secretary Sean Spicer [GOP profile] on Wednesday clarified in a press briefing [transcript] that Donald Trump’s executive order limiting immigration does not apply to individuals admitted for permanent residence. Trump issued the controversial executive order [JURIST report] last week, and it was initially interpreted to include green card holders in its immigration restrictions on seven Muslim nations. The order also suspends all refugee immigration for 120 days and bars all Syrian refugees indefinitely. With Spicer’s clarification, it is now clear that the order does not apply to any US citizens, whether natural-born or nationalized.

This order, which many claim to be unconstitutional [JURIST report] and in conflict with federal statutes, is one of several orders signed by the president since his inauguration on January 20. Last week the president signed an executive order to withdraw the US [JURIST report] from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade agreement with 11 Pacific Rim Nations signed a year ago. Also last week Trump signed [JURIST report] another order preventing foreign non-governmental organizations from receiving US funding if they provide abortions or promote policies that may lead to abortions. Trump has also addressed the immigration area before in his orders. Last week he signed two orders [JURIST report] withholding federal funding to cities that provide safe haven to illegal immigrants, directing the construction of a wall along the US and Mexican border and an increase in the number of enforcement officials to remove undocumented immigrants.