People from more countries, such as Syria and Burkina Faso, as well as Palestinian Authority passport holders, have been banned from entering the US.
The Trump administration on Tuesday expanded its travel restrictions to 20 additional countries, taking the total number of affected nations to 40. With the updated, list 19 countries now face a complete travel ban to the United States.
The countries that face a complete travel ban are Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Laos, news agency AFP reported.
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The White House said that Trump signed a proclamation “expanding and strengthening entry restrictions on nationals from countries with demonstrated, persistent, and severe deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information-sharing to protect the Nation from national security and public safety threats.”
The expanded ban goes into effect on January 1, the White House said.
Which countries are on the US travel ban list?
1. Syria
2. Burkina Faso
3. Mali
4. Niger
5. South Sudan
6. Laos
7. Sierra Leone
8. Myanmar
9. Chad
10. Republic of Congo
11. Equatorial Guinea
12. Haiti
13. Eritrea
14. Iran
15. Libya
16. Somalia
17. Sudan
18. Yemen
19. Afghanistan
More countries face travel restrictions
Trump also imposed partial travel restrictions on citizens of other African countries including the most populous, Nigeria, as well as Ivory Coast and Senegal, which qualified for the World Cup set to be played next year in the United States as well as Canada and Mexico.
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Other countries facing partial restrictions were from Africa or largely Black nations in the Caribbean — Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe — plus the Polynesian country of Tonga, AFP reported.
Why have the restrictions been imposed?
The travel restrictions come as part of ongoing efforts by the administration to tighten US entry standards for travel and immigration. The critics have described the move as unfair as it prevents travel 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.
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In June, Trump announced that citizens of 12 countries would be banned from coming to the US and those from seven others would face restrictions.
Trump also wants to prevent foreigners in the US who would “undermine or destabilise its culture, government, institutions or founding principles,” the proclamation said.
Syrians were banned days after two US troops and a civilian were killed in the war-torn country, which Trump has moved to rehabilitate internationally since the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.
Syrian authorities said the perpetrator was a member of the security forces who was due to be dismissed for “extremist Islamist ideas.”
With inputs from agencies
The article originally appeared on Hindustan Times
