Donald Trump is set to enforce a travel ban on individuals from 41 countries, with many being notified that their government has a 60-day period to address deficiencies or remain on the list. A memo categorises nations into three distinct groups, including full visa suspensions and partial suspensions.
A large number of these countries are situated in the Middle East and Africa, with Afghanistan, Cuba, Iran, and North Korea among the ten facing the harshest measures. In the second group, five countries would face partial suspensions affecting tourist and student visas as well as other immigrant visas, albeit with some exceptions.
Conversely, a third group consists of 26 countries that could face a partial suspension of US visa issuance if their governments 'do not make efforts to address deficiencies within 60 days', according to the memo. However, a US official cautioned that changes to the list could occur and it has yet to receive approval from the administration, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, following its report by the New York Times.
This policy will likely stir memories for many Americans of Trump's contentious ban on travellers from seven majority-Muslim nations during his first term. On January 20, Trump issued an executive order demanding enhanced security vetting for any foreigners seeking admission to the U.S. to identify national security threats.
This directive called for several cabinet members to provide a list of countries from which travel should be partially or fully suspended by March 21, citing their 'vetting and screening information is so deficient. ' This order forms part of an immigration clampdown initiated by Trump at the beginning of his second term, reports the Liverpool Echo.
In a speech delivered in October 2023, he detailed his plan to impose restrictions on individuals from the Gaza Strip, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and 'anywhere else that threatens our security. ' The State Department has yet to respond to a request for comment regarding this matter.
The following are the countries that could face a full travel ban:
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
Join our WhatsApp communities
ChronicleLive is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our communities.
We have a number of communities to join, so you can choose which one you want to be part of and we'll send you the latest news direct to your phone. You could even join them all!
To join you need to have WhatsApp on your device. All you need to do is choose which community you want to join, click on the link and press 'join community'.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the ChronicleLive team.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.
If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
If you’re curious, you can read our privacy notice.
Join the ChronicleLive Breaking News and Top Stories community
Join our Court & Crime community
Join the Things to do in Newcastle and the North East community
Join our Northumberland community
