The Trump administration is considering implementing a new ban on entry to the U.S. for citizens of 43 countries, which will be broader than the restrictions imposed during President Trump's first term, reports The New York Times citing a source in the White House.
A draft of recommendations developed by diplomats and security service employees proposes a 'red' list of 11 countries whose citizens will be categorically banned from entering the United States. These are Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen, officials said. However, sources warned that the list was developed by the State Department several weeks ago, and by the time it reaches the White House, it is likely to be amended.
Earlier, the Times reported that Afghanistan, which was not included in the travel ban imposed by Trump in the first term but came under Taliban control when the U.S. withdrew its troops in 2021, is likely to be included in the second term ban. But which other countries are being considered was not specified.
The draft proposal also includes an 'orange' list of 10 countries where travel will be restricted but not halted. In these cases, entry may be allowed for 'wealthy business travelers,' but not for people traveling on immigration or tourist visas. According to NYT, it includes Belarus, Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, Russia, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Turkmenistan. However, in the published Reuters list of countries, Russia is not mentioned.
The proposal also includes a draft 'yellow' list of 22 countries that will be given 60 days to address identified deficiencies with the threat of inclusion in one of the other lists if they do not meet the requirements.
According to officials, this list includes 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, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Vanuatu, and Zimbabwe.
Upon taking office on January 20, Trump issued an order requiring the State Department to identify countries 'for which information on verification and selection is so insufficient that it requires partial or complete suspension of the admission of citizens from these countries.' He justified his decision by stating that he seeks to protect American citizens 'from foreigners who intend to commit terrorist acts, threaten our national security, espouse an ideology of hatred, or otherwise exploit immigration laws for malicious purposes.' Trump gave the department 60 days to prepare a report for the White House with this list.
It is unclear whether people with valid visas will be exempt from the ban or if their visas will be canceled, and whether the administration intends to exempt green card holders who have already received permission for lawful permanent residence.
Some of the countries included in the red and orange lists were under Trump's sanctions during his first travel ban, but many of them are new.
During Trump's first term, courts did not allow the government to enforce the first two versions of his travel ban, but eventually, the Supreme Court allowed a rewritten stop-list to take effect, which banned entry for citizens of eight countries, six of which are predominantly Muslim. The list was later amended.
Soon after taking office as president in January 2021, Joe Biden issued an order canceling the travel bans, calling them 'a stain on our national conscience' and 'incompatible with our long history of hospitality towards people of all faiths and none at all.'