The Trump administration is considering implementing
travel restrictions
to
36 more countries
including key U.S. allies like Egypt and Djibouti, as stated in an internal memorandum reviewed
by
The Washington Post
.
The memo, signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and sent to U.S. diplomats on Saturday, says the governments of the listed nations have 60 days to meet new requirements established by the
State Department
.
The
State Department
alleged that some of
the countries mentioned
have not met various benchmarks, such as “no competent or cooperative central government authority” to provide reliable identity documents or a large number of citizens who have violated the terms of their visas.
Nevertheless, the memorandum had an exception stating that if a nation agrees to take in third-country nationals who are being expelled from the United States, this could alleviate additional worries.
The list of nations that might be subjected to visa limitations, travel prohibitions, or additional constraints encompasses 25 countries.
Africa
Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Egypt, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Several
Caribbean
nations are on the list as well: Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia.
There are also four countries in
Asia
listed: Bhutan, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, and Syria; and three countries in Oceania: Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu
Those countries have until 8 a.m. Wednesday to provide the State Department with an initial plan of action to meet the new requirements.
A spokesperson for the Department of State did not comment on ongoing internal deliberations but said the department is always reevaluating policies to ensure Americans are safe and foreign nationals abide by the law.
The Independent
has asked the White House for comment.
It’s unclear if the
travel restrictions
will become active following that deadline.
Reports about the new internal memo arrive just one week after Trump revived his first-term travel ban and announced
a complete prohibition on entering the United States for individuals from 12 nations along with imposed limitations on travelers from another seven countries.
In January, Trump signed an executive order asking the State Department to identify countries “for which vetting and screening information is so deficient as to warrant a partial or full suspension” on nationals from those countries.
Those actions are part of
the president’s wider anti-immigration agenda,
including what he has referred to as the “biggest”
mass deportation operation”
in American history targeting undocumented immigrants and revoking visas and humanitarian protections for tens of thousands of immigrants.
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