Donald Trump expands journey bans to extra international locations as 40 nations now affected
The United States has imposed further restrictions on more than 20 countries, with President Donald Trump making the changes ‘to protect the security’ of the country
Donald Trump has expanded a US travel ban which means nationals from 40 different countries now face restrictions on entering the United States.
The US President announced the changes on Tuesday, with nationals from five additional countries, plus people travelling on Palestinian Authority-issued documents, banned from entering the US from January 1. Full-entry restrictions will be imposed on people from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria as well as Palestinian Authority passport holders.
Laos and Sierra Leone, which were previously subject to partial restrictions, have now also been moved to the full ban list. An additional 15 countries now also have partial restrictions and entry limitations, including Nigeria, Senegal, and Zimbabwe.
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The White House said the ban is in place to “protect the nation from national security and public safety threats”. A statement on the White House website reads: “The restrictions and limitations imposed by the Proclamation are necessary to prevent the entry of foreign nationals about whom the United States lacks sufficient information to assess the risks they pose, garner cooperation from foreign governments, enforce our immigration laws, and advance other important foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism objectives.
“It is the President’s duty to take action to ensure that those seeking to enter our country will not harm the American people. The restrictions are country-specific in order to encourage cooperation with the subject countries in recognition of each country’s unique circumstances.
“Many of the restricted countries suffer from widespread corruption, fraudulent or unreliable civil documents and criminal records, and nonexistent birth-registration systems—systemically preventing accurate vetting.”
People who already have visas, are lawful permanent residents of the US or have certain visa categories such as diplomats or athletes, or whose entry into the country is believed to serve the US interest, are all exempt from the restrictions. The restrictions apply to both people seeking to travel to the US as visitors or to emigrate there.
Many of the restrictions have been imposed following the shooting of two national guard members in Washington on November 26. The suspected shooter is an Afghan national who was granted asylum in the US earlier this year.
Below is a list of the 40 countries currently impacted by the US travel ban.
Countries with full restrictions:
- Afghanistan
- Burkina Faso
- Burma
- Chad
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Haiti
- Iran
- Laos
- Libya
- Mali
- Niger
- Republic of the Congo
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Syria
- Yemen
- Individuals travelling on Palestinian Authority issued or endorsed travel documents are also subject to a full suspension of entry
Partial restrictions:
- Angola
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Benin
- Burundi
- Côte d’Ivoire
- Cuba
- Dominica
- Gabon
- The Gambia
- Malawi
- Mauritania
- Nigeria
- Senegal
- Tanzania
- Togo
- Tonga
- Venezuela
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Special case:
- Turkmenistan (restrictions remain for immigrants but have been lifted for non-immigrant visas)
