Under the new travel ban announced by Donald Trump, citizens of 12 countries have been completely banned from entering the US. The reasons cited for this are national security, which includes poor visa track record, links to terrorism, and inadequate ID systems.
Trump imposed a complete travel ban on 12 countries:
- Afghanistan
- Burma (Myanmar)
- Chad
- Republic of Congo
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Haiti
- Iran
- Libya
- Somalia
- Sudan
- Yemen
Major reasons for the ban against these countries:
Excessive visa overstay rate (e.g. more than 50%)
Non-cooperative role of governments, especially in taking back deported citizens
Serious deficiencies in the passport and document verification system
Concerns related to terrorism and unstable political situation
7 other countries with partial ban:
Not a complete ban, but limited travel control has been imposed on these countries:
- Burundi
- Cuba
- Laos
- Mauritania
- Niger
- Uzbekistan
- Kyrgyzstan
The problems with these countries are:
Lack of sharing law enforcement information
Lack of removal cooperation
Visa overstays and suspicious migrant activities
Trump administration’s rationale:
“These steps are taken to protect Americans from foreign threats who may commit terrorism, crime, or immigration violations by coming to the United States.”
Biden administration’s stand:
In 2021, President Joe Biden repealed Trump’s first travel ban, calling it a “stain on the national conscience.” Now with Trump’s return, the same policy is being implemented again.