KEY POINTS
- Trump administration is considering new travel restrictions on citizens from 43 countries.
- Countries are categorized into red, orange, and yellow lists based on the severity of restrictions.
- Citizens from Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, and others would be completely barred.
- Nations like Pakistan, Russia, Myanmar would face strict visa controls and mandatory in-person interviews.
- 22 countries have 60 days to improve security vetting or risk harsher restrictions.
- The State Department’s review is ongoing, with a final list expected next week.
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump’s administration is considering imposing broad travel restrictions on citizens from 43 countries, significantly expanding the controversial bans implemented during his first term, the New York Times reported.
An internal draft list, developed by the US State Department, categorises the affected countries into three groups based on the severity of restrictions.
Under the most stringent “red list,” citizens from Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen would be completely barred from entering the United States, the New York Times reported, citing anonymous officials familiar with the matter.
A second “orange list” includes Belarus, Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, Russia, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Turkmenistan, whose nationals would face heavily restricted visa access.
While business travellers from these countries might still be allowed entry, tourist and immigrant visas would be significantly restricted. In-person interviews would also become mandatory for visa applicants.
The third category, the “yellow list,” features 22 countries that would be given 60 days to address US concerns about security vetting and screening processes. Failure to comply could see them moved into the more restrictive categories.
These nations include Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Vanuatu, and Zimbabwe.
Broader expansion of previous travel bans
The move is seen as an expansion of Trump’s earlier travel bans, which were widely criticised for targeting majority-Muslim countries.
In 2017, the administration issued an executive order barring entry for nationals from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.
That policy faced legal challenges and was revised multiple times, with Iraq and Sudan eventually removed from the list.
In 2018, the US Supreme Court upheld a revised version that added North Korea and Venezuela.
Shortly after taking office for his second term in January, President Trump signed an executive order directing the State Department to identify countries with what he described as “deficient vetting and screening information”, mandating a partial or full suspension of travel for affected nationals.
“The department had 60 days to complete its review, and the list of restricted countries is expected to be finalised next week,” an unnamed US official told The New York Times.
The report suggests that while the proposed ban remains subject to further revisions, intelligence agencies and diplomatic officials have already begun reviewing its implications.
Officials at embassies and security bureaus are said to be assessing whether the listed countries could meet US security requirements before the ban is finalised.
Crackdown against immigrants
The report comes as the Trump administration continues to tighten immigration controls, including the deportation of undocumented migrants.
Several foreign governments have criticised the harsh treatment of deportees, particularly reports of individuals being chained and shackled during repatriation.
During his first term, Trump’s travel bans faced significant legal pushback, with courts initially blocking their enforcement.
His successor, President Joe Biden, revoked the bans upon taking office in 2021, calling them “a stain on our national conscience” and “inconsistent with our long history of welcoming people of all faiths and no faith at all”.
However, in a statement justifying his latest move, Trump asserted that “aliens who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten our national security, espouse hateful ideology or otherwise exploit the immigration laws for malevolent purposes” must be barred from entering the US.
