WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration announced Tuesday it is expanding travel restrictions to 20 more countries and the Palestinian Authority, doubling the number of countries affected by sweeping limits announced earlier this year on who can travel and immigrate to the U.S.
The Trump administration added five more countries as well as people traveling with documents issued by the Palestinian Authority to the list of countries facing a blanket ban on travel to the US and imposed new limits on another 15 countries.
The move is part of the administration’s ongoing efforts to tighten U.S. entry standards for travel and immigration, which critics say unfairly impedes travel for people from a wide range of countries. The administration hinted it would expand the restrictions after the arrest of an Afghan suspect in the shootings of two National Guard troops over the Thanksgiving weekend.
People who already have visas, are lawful permanent residents of the US, or hold certain categories of visas, such as diplomats or athletes, or whose entry into the country is believed to serve the US interest are all exempt from the restrictions. It was not immediately clear when the new restrictions would take effect.
In June, President Donald Trump announced that citizens of 12 countries would be barred from coming to the United States, and those from seven other countries would face restrictions. The decision revived a policy characteristic of his first term.
At the time, the ban included Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen and increased restrictions on visitors from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
On Tuesday, the Republican administration announced it was expanding the list of countries whose citizens are banned from entering the US to include Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria. The administration also completely restricted the travel of people with travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority, the latest US travel restriction against Palestinians. South Sudan was already facing significant travel restrictions.
Another 15 countries are also added to the list of countries facing partial restrictions: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The restrictions apply both to people who want to travel to the US as visitors and to immigrate there.
The Trump administration said in its announcement that many of the countries from which it is restricting travel have “widespread corruption, fraudulent or unreliable civil documents and criminal records” that have made it difficult to vet their citizens for US travel.
It also said some countries had high rates of overstaying their visas, refused to take back citizens the US wanted to deport, or had a “general lack of government stability and control,” which made verification difficult. He also cited immigration law enforcement, foreign policy and national security 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. Following that incident, the administration announced a series of immigration restrictions, including additional restrictions on people from those original 19 countries who were already in the US.
News of the expanded travel ban is likely to face fierce opposition from critics who have argued that the administration is using national security concerns to collectively keep people from a wide range of countries at bay.
“This sweeping ban is not about national security, but is another shameful attempt to demonize people simply because of where they are,” said Laurie Ball Cooper, vice president of US Legal Programs at the International Refugee Assistance Project.
The Trump administration also upgraded restrictions on some countries — Laos and Sierra Leone — that were previously on the partially restricted list, and in one case — Turkmenistan — said the country had improved enough to warrant easing some restrictions on travelers from that country. Everything else from the previous travel restrictions announced in June remains in place, the administration said.
The new restrictions on Palestinians come months after the administration imposed limits that make it nearly impossible for anyone holding a Palestinian Authority passport to receive travel documents to visit the US for business, work, pleasure or educational purposes. Tuesday’s announcement goes further, barring people with Palestinian Authority passports from immigrating to the US
In justifying its decision on Tuesday, the administration said several “U.S.-designated terrorist groups are actively operating in the West Bank or Gaza Strip and have killed American citizens.” The administration also said that the recent war in those areas “has likely compromised verification and screening capabilities.”