On December 2, 2015, a terrorist attack, consisting of a mass shooting and an attempted bombing, occurred at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California, United States.
On December 7, 2015, as a candidate for President, Donald Trump, called for "a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on.
"[8][9] His comments were condemned by several of his competitors for the Republican nomination, including Chris Christie, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, and Lindsey Graham, as well as by several Republican state party chairmen, civil rights activist Ibrahim Hooper of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), and Democratic candidates for president Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley.
The waivers were supposed to be granted at the discretion of the consular officers who review the applications of those facing a lot of undue hardship that requires them to be with their loved ones in the United States.
[18] The reverse travel ban was issued for one year, but has been renewed on an annual basis since August 2018.