Trump Considers Adding Another 36 Countries to Divisive Travel Ban
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President Donald Trump is considering expanding his travel ban on foreign countries by 36, according to a State Department cable that gives countries a deadline to avoid the bans.
The Washington Post first reported that based on a June 14 State Department cable, dozens of countries, mostly in Africa, have until 8 p.m. EST on Wednesday to meet certain standards to avoid being added to a travel ban. The New York Times also reported on the cable. Trump recently imposed travel bans on 12 countries, as well as partial bans on seven more. The administration says their travel bans are meant to heighten the standards for “national security and public safety through our visa process.”
The countries that could be added to Trump’s travel ban include the following: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Ethiopia, Egypt, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The countries need to “must take immediate action to mitigate ongoing vetting and screening concerns, develop corrective action plans to remediate deficiencies and evaluate progress,” according to the reports. The administration is using a three-tier system to determine security threats presented by each country, which in turn determines how strict a travel ban will be.
“The restrictions and limitations imposed by the Proclamation are necessary to garner cooperation from foreign governments, enforce our immigration laws, and advance other important foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism objectives,” the White House announced earlier this month after Trump’s initial travel ban.
Countries under a full suspension already are as follows: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Countries under partial suspension meanwhile are: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
