THE United States (US) President Donald Trump’s administration is considering issuing a travel ban for the citizens of dozens of countries, Reuters reported on Saturday, March 15.
It quoted sources familiar with the matter to have confirmed an internal memo seen by the organisation.
It said the memo listed 41 countries divided into three separate groups.
“The first group of 10 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Cuba and North Korea among others, would be set for a full visa suspension.
“In the second group, five countries — Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar and South Sudan – would face partial suspensions that would impact tourist and student visas as well as other immigrant visas, with some exceptions,” it stated.
The third group, comprising 26 countries, including Belarus, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan, would be considered for a partial suspension of US visa issuance if their governments “do not make efforts to address deficiencies within 60 days.”
The report said a US official warned there could be changes on the list, hinting that the plan has yet to be approved by the administration, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
During his first term in office, Trump placed a travel ban on seven countries, a policy that went through several alterations before it was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.
The ICIR reported that on January 21, 2021, the immediate past President Joe Biden reversed the Trump immigration policies, which banned immigrants from Nigeria and 11 other countries from entering the US
Returning to power on January 20, Trump issued executive orders, including requiring intensified security vetting of any foreigners seeking admission to the US to detect national security threats.
The ICIR also reported that upon returning to office on his inauguration day, Trump signed 42 executive orders, reversing several policies of his predecessor.
According to the Reuters report, Trump was said to have directed several cabinet members to submit a list of countries from which travel should be partly or fully suspended by March 21.
The directive is part of an immigration crackdown that he launched at the start of his second term.
Below is the full list of the countries as reported by Reuters.
Full visa suspension:
- Afghanistan
- Cuba
- Iran
- Libya
- North Korea
- Somalia
- Sudan
- Syria
- Venezuela
- Yemen
Partial visa suspension (tourist, student and some other visas affected):
- Eritrea
- Haiti
- Laos
- Myanmar
- South Sudan
Countries recommended for a partial suspension if they do not address deficiencies:
- Angola
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Belarus
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Burkina Faso
- Cabo Verde
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Chad
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Dominica
- Equatorial Guinea
- Gambia
- Liberia
- Malawi
- Mauritania
- Pakistan
- Republic of the Congo
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Sierra Leone
- East Timor
- Turkmenistan
- Vanuatu