Trump expands travel ban and restrictions to include an additional 20 countries

WASHINGTON AP The Trump administration communicated Tuesday it was expanding passage restrictions to an additional countries and the Palestinian Authority doubling the number of nations affected by sweeping limits revealed earlier this year on who can movement and emigrate to the U S The Trump administration included five more countries as well as people traveling on documents issued by the Palestinian Authority to the list of countries facing a full ban on tour to the U S and imposed new limits on other countries The move is part of ongoing efforts by the administration to tighten U S entry standards for voyage and immigration in what critics say unfairly prevents progress for people from a broad range of countries The administration suggested it would expand the restrictions after the arrest of an Afghan national suspect in the shooting of two National Guard troops over Thanksgiving weekend People who already have visas are lawful permanent residents of the U S or have certain visa categories such as diplomats or athletes or whose entry into the country is assumed to serve the U S interest are all exempt from the restrictions The proclamation declared the changes go into effect on Jan In June President Donald Trump publicized that citizens of countries would be banned from coming to the United States and those from seven others would face restrictions The decision resurrected a hallmark procedures of his first term At the time the ban included Afghanistan Myanmar Chad the Republic of Congo Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Haiti Iran Libya Somalia Sudan and Yemen and heightened restrictions on visitors from Burundi Cuba Laos Sierra Leone Togo Turkmenistan and Venezuela On Tuesday the Republican administration disclosed it was expanding the list of countries whose citizens are banned from entering the U S to Burkina Faso Mali Niger South Sudan and Syria The administration also fully restricted trip on people with Palestinian Authority-issued excursion documents the latest U S journey restriction against Palestinians South Sudan was also facing substantial movement restrictions already An additional countries are also being added to the list of countries facing partial restrictions Angola Antigua and Barbuda Benin Ivory Coast Dominica Gabon Gambia Malawi Mauritania Nigeria Senegal Tanzania Tonga Zambia and Zimbabwe The restrictions apply to both people seeking to progress to the U S as visitors or to emigrate there The Trump administration noted in its announcement that several of the countries from which it was restricting trip had widespread corruption fraudulent or unreliable civil documents and criminal records that made it challenging to vet their citizens for passage to the U S It also revealed particular countries had high rates of people overstaying their visas refused to take back their citizens whom the U S wished to deport or had a general lack of stability and cabinet control which made vetting intricate It also cited immigration enforcement foreign approach and national protection concerns for the move The Afghan man accused of shooting the two National Guard troops near the White House has pleaded not guilty to murder and assault charges In the aftermath of that affair the administration released a flurry of immigration restrictions including further restrictions on people from those initial countries who were already in the U S The news of the expanding trip ban is likely to face fierce opposition from critics who have argued that the administration is using national assurance concerns to collectively keep out people from a wide range of countries This expanded ban is not about national shield but instead is another shameful attempt to demonize people only for where they are from revealed Laurie Ball Cooper vice president of U S Legal Programs at the International Refugee Assistance Project Advocates for Afghans who supported the United States two-decade long war in Afghanistan also raised alarms Tuesday saying the updated progress ban no longer contains an exception for Afghans who qualify for the Special Immigrant Visa That s a visa category specifically for Afghans who closely assisted the U S war effort at great jeopardy to themselves No One Left Behind a longtime agency advocating for the Special Immigrant Visa scheme disclosed it was deeply concerned about the change The organization noted it appreciated the president s commitment to national defense but allowing Afghans who d served the U S to enter the U S after extensive vetting also contributes to the country s guard Though intended to allow for review of inconsistent vetting processes this guidelines change inadvertently restricts those who are among the the majority rigorously vetted in our history the wartime allies targeted by the terrorists this proclamation seeks to address the organization explained in a comment Countries that were newly placed on the list of banned or restricted countries commented late Tuesday that they were evaluating the news The cabinet of the island nation of Dominica in the Caribbean Sea announced it was treating the issue with the utmost seriousness and urgency and was reaching out to U S bureaucrats to clarify what the restrictions mean and address any problems Antigua and Barbuda s ambassador to the United States Ronald Saunders revealed the matter is quite serious and he ll be seeking more information from U S personnel regarding the new restrictions The Trump administration also upgraded restrictions on selected countries Laos and Sierra Leone that previously were on the partially restricted list and in one affair Turkmenistan commented the country had improved enough to warrant easing specific restrictions on travelers from that country Everything else from the previous tour restrictions disclosed in June remains in place the administration reported The new restrictions on Palestinians come months after the administration imposed limits that make it nearly impossible for anyone holding a Palestinian Authority passport from receiving passage documents to visit the U S for business work pleasure or educational purposes The announcement Tuesday goes further banning people with Palestinian Authority passports from emigrating to the U S In justifying its decision Tuesday the administration reported several U S -designated terrorist groups operate actively in the West Bank or Gaza Strip and have murdered American citizens The administration also noted the new war in those areas had likely resulted in compromised vetting and screening abilities