US President Donald Trump’s administration is considering significantly expanding its travel restrictions by potentially banning citizens of 36 additional countries from entering the United States – 25 of which are on the African continent – according to an internal State Department cable issued over the weekend.
Earlier this month, Trump signed a proclamation banning the entry of citizens from 12 countries, saying the move was needed to protect the United States against “foreign terrorists” and other national security threats.
In an internal diplomatic cable signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the State Department proposed extending the restrictions to a further 36 countries, including 25 on the African continent.
The cable, first reported in the Washington Post, outlined a dozen concerns about the countries in question and sought corrective action.
“The Department has identified 36 countries of concern that might be recommended for full or partial suspension of entry if they do not meet established benchmarks and requirements within 60 days,” the cable sent out over the weekend said.
Targeted countries
Among the concerns the Trump administration raised was the lack of a competent or cooperative government by some of the countries mentioned to produce reliable identity documents, the cable said. Another was “questionable security” of that country’s passport.
Other concerns related to visa overstays, lack of cooperation over deportations, nationals involved in acts of terrorism in the United States, or antisemitic and anti-American activity.
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The cable noted that not all of these concerns pertained to every country listed.
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It instructs US diplomats to give listed countries until 8 a.m. Wednesday to submit initial action plans to meet the new requirements.
The countries that could face a full or a partial ban if they do not address concerns within the next 60 days are: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Côte D’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Ethiopia, Egypt, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The ban that came into effect earlier this month applied to Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. The African Union expressed its “deep concern” over that bill.
(with newswires)
