The Trump administration has imposed full restrictions and entry limitations on citizens from five countries – Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria. These are in addition to the initial list of 12 countries
US President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation expanding the limits on the entry of foreign nationals into the country, the White House has announced.
The Trump administration has imposed full restrictions and entry limitations on citizens from five countries – Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria. These are in addition to the initial list of 12 countries.
The White House added that full restrictions have also been imposed on individuals holding Palestinian Authority-issued travel documents.
The move marks a significant escalation in Trump’s efforts to tighten security following the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, DC, on November 26. The alleged shooter, an Afghan national who had served in a CIA-affiliated unit in Afghanistan, was allowed into the US after the country’s withdrawal in 2021. He was granted asylum earlier this year after undergoing a vetting process.
Which other countries are on the list?
The 12 high-risk countries already on the list are Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
Apart from this, Laos and Sierra Leone, which previously were subjected to partial restrictions, now face a full entry ban.
Countries like Burundi, Cuba, Togo, and Venezuela continue to be under partial restrictions under the new list.
Govt to re-examine green card holders
Last month, the US government announced that it would re-examine green card holders issued to people who came to the US from 19 specific countries.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) chief, Joseph Edlow, said that President Donald Trump had instructed the agency to conduct “a full-scale, rigorous re-examination of every green card for every alien from every country of concern”.
When asked by the BBC which nations were included, the agency referred to a June White House proclamation listing Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, Somalia, and Venezuela.
The proclamation highlighted that USCIS explained that the policy aims to limit foreign nationals from entering the US to protect against “foreign terrorists and other national security and public safety threats.”
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