WASHINGTON, March 14 (Zobuz) – The Trump administration is thinking about a big travel ban. It would cover dozens of countries. This is based on an internal memo seen by Reuters.
The memo lists 41 countries in three groups. The first group has 10 countries, like Afghanistan and Iran. They would face a full visa ban.
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The second group has five countries, including Eritrea and Haiti. They would see partial visa bans. This would affect tourist and student visas, with some exceptions.
The third group has 26 countries, like Belarus and Pakistan. They might see partial visa bans if their governments don’t meet certain standards in 60 days.
A U.S. official said the list could change. It needs approval from the administration, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The New York Times first reported on the list of countries.
This move reminds us of Trump’s first term ban on seven majority-Muslim nations. That policy was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.
Trump issued an executive order on January 20. It requires more security checks for foreign visitors to detect threats.
That order asked cabinet members to list countries for travel bans by March 21. They should list countries with poor vetting and screening.
Trump’s plan is part of his immigration crackdown. He started this at the beginning of his second term.
In an October 2023 speech, Trump talked about restricting travel from certain places. He mentioned the Gaza Strip, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, and more.
The State Department did not comment on this yet.