US considers travel ban to 36 more countries, including African partners

The United States government is preparing to extend travel restrictions to citizens of 36 additional countries, according to a State Department memo obtained by The Washington Post.

This move would mark a significant escalation in the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration crackdown, Caliber.Az writes via The Washington Post.

The new list includes 25 African nations, among them important U.S. allies such as Egypt and Djibouti, as well as countries in the Caribbean, Central Asia, and the Pacific Islands. The proposed restrictions could involve visa bans or other limits on entry.

Signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the memo was sent to U.S. diplomats working with the affected countries. It gives these governments 60 days to meet newly established benchmarks related to identity verification, civil documentation, and cooperation on immigration enforcement. Countries were required to submit initial action plans by 8 a.m. Wednesday.

The benchmarks cited in the memo highlight a range of issues, including governments lacking reliable central authorities to issue legitimate identity documents, widespread fraud, and high rates of visa overstays by their citizens in the U.S. Other concerns included the availability of citizenship through investment without residency requirements, and claims of “antisemitic and anti-American activity” by nationals from those countries within the United States.

The memo also suggested that countries willing to accept third-country nationals deported from the U.S. or enter into “safe third country” agreements could potentially avoid some of the restrictions.

The full list of countries under review includes Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Ethiopia, Egypt, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

This development builds on an earlier presidential proclamation issued on June 4, which fully restricted entry for individuals from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Partial restrictions had also been placed on travelers from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.

The Trump administration’s travel bans trace back to early in his first term, when restrictions were initially imposed on Iran, Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, and Libya. These earlier bans triggered widespread confusion and legal battles before the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the third version in June 2018.

By Khagan Isayev