The Trump administration is reportedly planning broad travel restrictions for citizens from multiple countries as part of a new ban, according to sources and an internal memo reviewed by Reuters on 14 March.
A U.S. official, speaking anonymously, noted to Reuters that the list was not yet finalized and could be subject to changes, pending approval from the administration, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The memo lists 41 countries divided into three categories. The first group faces a full visa suspension, including Afghanistan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen.
The second group is subject to a partial visa suspension, affecting tourist, student, and certain other visas, and includes Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, and South Sudan.
The third group consists of countries recommended for a partial suspension if they do not address specific deficiencies. This list includes Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Belarus, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Pakistan, the Republic of the Congo, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, East Timor, Turkmenistan, and Vanuatu.
The decision echoes President Donald Trump’s first-term travel ban on seven majority-Muslim countries, a policy that underwent multiple revisions before being upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.
On 20 January, Trump signed an executive order mandating stricter security screening for foreign nationals seeking entry into the U.S. to identify potential national security threats.
The order required several cabinet members to submit a list by 21 March of countries where travel should be partially or fully restricted due to inadequate vetting and screening procedures.
Trump’s order is part of a broader immigration crackdown initiated at the beginning of his second term. He outlined his plan in an October 2023 speech, vowing to impose travel restrictions on individuals from the Gaza Strip, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, and other regions deemed security threats.
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