US President Donald Trump’s administration is weighing a major expansion of its travel ban, potentially blocking citizens from 36 more countries from entering the United States, according to an internal cable from the State Department reviewed by Reuters, reports RTE.
Earlier this month, the Republican president issued a proclamation restricting entry to people from 12 nations, stating the decision was necessary to shield the country from “foreign terrorists” and other security-related dangers.
This directive is part of Mr. Trump’s broader immigration enforcement campaign that began earlier this year with his second term. Measures have included deporting hundreds of Venezuelans with suspected gang ties to El Salvador, curbing enrollments of certain international students in US universities, and sending others back to their countries, reports RTE.
A confidential diplomatic cable, endorsed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, listed a number of concerns related to the targeted countries and called for them to take corrective measures.
“The Department has identified 36 countries of concern that might be recommended for full or partial suspension of entry if they do not meet established benchmarks and requirements within 60 days,” the cable sent out over the weekend said, reports RTE.
The Washington Post was the first to report on the contents of the cable.
Among the issues the State Department flagged were the inability or unwillingness of some governments to issue trustworthy identification documents, the cable said. It also noted “questionable security” associated with some countries’ passports, reports RTE.
Additionally, the cable pointed out that certain countries failed to assist with the deportation of their nationals from the United States, while others had citizens who overstayed the visas they were granted.
Other points of concern included the involvement of nationals in terrorist activities within the US, or participation in Anti-Semitic and anti-American behavior, reports RTE.
However, the cable clarified that not all of these issues applied to every country named.
Nations that may be subject to a complete or partial entry ban unless they resolve these problems within 60 days include: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cote D’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Ethiopia, Egypt, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, reports RTE.
This would represent a notable enlargement of the travel restrictions that took effect earlier this month. Previously, the countries impacted were Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
Partial entry limitations have also been imposed on individuals from seven other countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
In his first term, Mr. Trump unveiled a travel ban targeting seven predominantly Muslim countries—a policy that was revised multiple times before being upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018, reports RTE.
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