New York/Washington: The Trump administration has expanded its travel ban and restrictions to 20 additional nations as well as the Palestinian Authority as part of its efforts to “protect US national security and public safety interests”.
US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Tuesday expanding and strengthening entry restrictions on nationals from countries with “demonstrated, persistent, and severe deficiencies” in screening, vetting, and information-sharing to protect America from national security and public safety threats.
The proclamation said these measures are necessary to prevent the entry of foreign nationals about whom the US “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 imposed partial restrictions and entry limitations on 15 additional countries - Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Full restrictions and entry limitations were also imposed for nationals of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria.
Full restrictions and entry limitations have also been placed on individuals holding Palestinian Authority-issued travel documents, as several “US-designated terrorist groups operate actively in the West Bank or Gaza Strip and have murdered American citizens,” it said, adding that the recent war in these areas likely resulted in compromised vetting and screening abilities.
“...Considering the weak or nonexistent control exercised over these areas by the PA (Palestinian Authority), individuals attempting to travel on PA-issued
or endorsed travel documents cannot currently be properly vetted and approved for entry into the United States.”
The proclamation also imposed full restrictions and entry limitations on Laos and Sierra Leone that were previously subject to partial restrictions, and continued partial restrictions on nationals from Burundi, Cuba, Togo, and Venezuela.
The entry of nationals from additional countries must be restricted or limited to protect US national security and public safety interests, the proclamation said.