The administration of US President Donald Trump is considering targeting citizens of 43 countries as part of a new travel ban to the United States. This restriction could be more extensive than those imposed during Trump’s first term, according to officials familiar with the matter.
According to a report from the US media outlet The New York Times, US diplomats and security officials have proposed a “red list” that would completely ban citizens from 11 countries from entering the US These countries include Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, Yemen.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, US officials stated that the State Department had prepared this list weeks ago, it may undergo changes before reaching the White House.
Security experts from the US State Department, various embassies, regional offices, intelligence agencies are reviewing the draft list. There is also an “orange list,” which includes 10 countries whose citizens will face partial travel bans to the US In this case, wealthy businesspeople from these countries would be allowed entry, but immigrants or tourists would be denied entry. The countries on this list include Belarus, Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, Russia, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Turkmenistan.
Earlier, on January 20, as soon as Donald Trump assumed office, he issued an executive order directing the US State Department to identify which countries’ citizens should be banned or restricted from entering the United States. He had asked for a report to be submitted to the White House within 60 days, meaning the report must be submitted next week.
Meanwhile, it is still unclear whether the travel ban will apply to individuals from these countries who have already been granted US visas but have not yet traveled to the US Similarly, it remains uncertain whether the administration will include current green card holders under this ban.
Some of the countries on the proposed red and orange lists had already been subject to travel bans during Trump’s first term, but many others are new. However, the inclusion of several other countries is not immediately clear. For example, Bhutan is proposed to be added to the list of fully banned countries. The proposal to impose travel bans on Russia raises a different set of issues.
The proposal also includes a draft “yellow” list, which asks 22 countries to provide the missing information within 60 days. If they fail to do so, they may be moved to another list. The countries on this list are Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Saint Kitts, Nevis, Saint Lucia, São Tomé , Príncipe, Vanuatu, Zimbabwe.
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