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

WASHINGTON AP The Trump administration declared Tuesday it was expanding trip restrictions to an additional countries and the Palestinian Authority doubling the number of nations affected by sweeping limits communicated earlier this year on who can journey 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 trip 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 passage 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 noted the changes go into effect on Jan In June President Donald Trump informed 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 strategy 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 publicized 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 excursion on people with Palestinian Authority-issued tour documents the latest U S passage restriction against Palestinians South Sudan was also facing major expedition 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 tour to the U S as visitors or to emigrate there The Trump administration stated in its announcement that numerous of the countries from which it was restricting excursion had widespread corruption fraudulent or unreliable civil documents and criminal records that made it demanding to vet their citizens for tour to the U S It also stated selected 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 establishment control which made vetting complex It also cited immigration enforcement foreign framework 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 situation the administration stated 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 movement ban is likely to face fierce opposition from critics who have argued that the administration is using national prevention concerns to collectively keep out people from a wide range of countries This expanded ban is not about national protection but instead is another shameful attempt to demonize people purely for where they are from reported 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 movement 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 exposure to themselves No One Left Behind a longtime agency advocating for the Special Immigrant Visa initiative commented it was deeply concerned about the change The organization stated it appreciated the president s commitment to national measure but allowing Afghans who d served the U S to enter the U S after extensive vetting also contributes to the country s safeguard Though intended to allow for review of inconsistent vetting processes this program change inadvertently restricts those who are among the preponderance rigorously vetted in our history the wartime allies targeted by the terrorists this proclamation seeks to address the organization reported in a message Countries that were newly placed on the list of banned or restricted countries noted late Tuesday that they were evaluating the news The authorities of the island nation of Dominica in the Caribbean Sea stated it was treating the issue with the utmost seriousness and urgency and was reaching out to U S executives to clarify what the restrictions mean and address any problems Antigua and Barbuda s ambassador to the United States Ronald Saunders mentioned the matter is quite serious and he ll be seeking more information from U S agents regarding the new restrictions The Trump administration also upgraded restrictions on certain countries Laos and Sierra Leone that previously were on the partially restricted list and in one occurrence Turkmenistan announced the country had improved enough to warrant easing selected restrictions on travelers from that country Everything else from the previous expedition restrictions released in June remains in place the administration noted 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 progress 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 stated several U S -designated terrorist groups operate actively in the West Bank or Gaza Strip and have murdered American citizens The administration also reported the latest war in those areas had likely resulted in compromised vetting and screening abilities