NYT: Trump administration mulls tightened entry rules for citizens of 43 countries

The administration of US President Donald Trump is reportedly considering tightening entry rules for citizens from 43 countries, including Russia and Belarus.

The New York Times (NYT), revealed, citing sources familiar with the matter, that a table categorizing these countries into three groups: “red,” “orange,” and “yellow”, Caliber.Az reports.

Citizens from countries in the “red” category would face a complete ban on entering the United States. This list, which was previously leaked, includes 11 nations: Afghanistan, Bhutan, Venezuela, Iran, Cuba, North Korea, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.

Countries in the “orange” category, including Russia and Belarus, would face stricter visa restrictions. According to the NYT, citizens from these countries, as well as those from Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Turkmenistan, could be denied visas, with some exceptions made for “wealthy business travellers.” However, those seeking immigration or tourist visas would likely be barred from entry.

The “yellow” category, which consists of 22 countries, is expected to have 60 days to address the concerns raised by the U.S. government. If these countries fail to meet the required conditions, they could face either a full entry ban or strict visa limitations. The list of countries in this category includes Zimbabwe, Chad, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Vanuatu, among others.

The concerns highlighted by the Trump administration include a refusal by some countries to provide adequate data on their citizens, insufficient security measures in the passport issuance process, or the sale of citizenship to individuals from countries already on the U.S. entry ban list.

On January 20, the day of his inauguration, President Trump signed an executive order that directed the identification of countries where the verification of entry data was deemed insufficient, necessitating either partial or complete suspensions of entry. The administration was given a 60-day deadline to prepare a report on the matter, which is due in about a week.

During his first term in office (2017-2021), Trump imposed similar entry bans on citizens of certain countries, but his successor, Joe Biden, lifted many of these restrictions after taking office.

By Tamilla Hasanova