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US Embassy and airlines refuse to give details of passengers stopped at Irish airports by Trump travel ban

Aer Lingus among airlines which have refused ti disclose whether any passengers have been affected due to the presidential order. Picture by Niall Carson/PA Wire
Aer Lingus among airlines which have refused ti disclose whether any passengers have been affected due to the presidential order. Picture by Niall Carson/PA Wire Aer Lingus among airlines which have refused ti disclose whether any passengers have been affected due to the presidential order. Picture by Niall Carson/PA Wire

MAJOR airlines and the American Embassy in Dublin have refused to disclose whether any passengers have been affected at Irish airports by a travel ban on citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries to the US.

The restrictions, introduced by new US President Donald Trump in an order signed on Friday, include a suspension of the entire US refugee scheme for four months.

A 90-day travel ban to the US has been placed on all citizens of Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Yemen, Somalia and Sudan.

The US Embassy confirmed that the measures are being implemented at both Shannon and Dublin, the only airports on the island that allow passengers to clear US immigration controls before leaving Ireland.

The SDLP and Sinn Féin have appealed to the Dublin government not to co-operate with the restrictions at Irish airports.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has also faced calls to cancel his trip to the White House on St Patrick's Day.

Katherine Zappone, the Republic's Minister for Children, said she would be requesting a review of pre-clearance measures in Ireland, describing the US President's move as "deeply objectionable from a human rights and equality perspective".

The Republic's ministers are due to discuss the pre-clearance issue at a cabinet meeting today.

A spokesman for the US Embassy in Dublin said that it "never confirms nor discusses" the cases of individuals refused entry to the US.

A spokeswoman for United Airlines said the company does not share passenger information and added: "We are aware of the directive and are working with the federal government to comply."

An Aer Lingus spokeswoman told The Irish News that it does not "provide this information and the issue is for the US authorities."

Delta and American Airlines did not respond to requests for comment, but in statements posted on their websites both airlines said they were offering affected customers rebooking options including refunds.

Meanwhile, hotel tycoon Lord Diljit Rana, who was born in India and moved to Northern Ireland in 1966, described President Trump's actions as "wrong".

The Conservative peer, whose hotel portfolio includes the Ramada Plaza and the former Days Hotel (now Holiday Inn), told The Irish News: "I think there are other ways of dealing with this rather than putting a blanket ban on people.

"Terrorists will have other ways and means of getting access to the country. They will not be deterred by this measure."

However, Lord Rana stopped short of calling for the government to call off President Trump's planned visit to the UK, with an online petition attracting more than one million signatures.

Lord Rana said the USA "was a very important country" and it was still "important to deal with people".