The administration of US President Donald Trump is considering restricting entry to the country for citizens from 43 states, including Russia and Belarus, The New York Times reported, citing officials familiar with the matter.Earlier in March, The New York Times reported that Washington was preparing a new travel ban, which would be broader than the one Trump introduced during his first term.
The proposed "red list" includes 11 countries, whose citizens would be denied entry to the US, namely Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen, the New York Times reported late on Friday, citing unnamed officials.Another 10 countries, namely Belarus, Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, Russia, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Turkmenistan, would be added to an “orange list,” which would sharply restrict, but not completely ban entering the US. Countries in this category will only be eligible for visas such as business travel for relatively affluent people, but not for immigrants or tourists. The duration of these visas may also be shortened and applicants will be required to attend in-person interviews.
However, the reason for imposing total or partial travel bans on several countries on the list remained unclear, the newspaper said. It is also unclear whether valid visas would be revoked and whether green card holders would be affected.
The last category in the draft proposal lists 22 countries, including, among others, Angola, Zimbabwe, Mali, Chad, Cameroon, The New York Times said. Countries on the so-called “yellow list” would reportedly be given 60 days to address perceived deficiencies, which may include failure to share information about incoming travelers with Washington, inadequate passport security practices, or the selling of citizenship to individuals from banned countries.
The proposal was drafted several weeks ago and sent to the White House, where adjustments could be made to the lists, The New York Times reported, citing officials. The lists of countries are now under consideration by US embassies, regional bureaus at the State Department, security specialists and the intelligence agencies.
During his first term in 2017, Trump implemented the first travel bans, initially targeting primarily Muslim-majority countries and later expanding to include other low-income countries, especially those in Africa. As soon as Joe Biden came into office in 2021, he revoked the travel bans.(UNI)
