Trump plans to impose visa restrictions on over 40 countries

Sources have revealed to the media that the government led by US President Donald Trump is considering tightening US visa policies and implementing tiered visa bans and restrictions on dozens of countries worldwide.

Reuters and The New York Times reported on Friday (March 14) that the US Department of Foreign Affairs and Security has drafted a list of countries with visa bans and restrictions, imposing varying degrees of visa restrictions on three categories of countries. However, there are differences in the content of the country list and the distinction between the three categories of countries in the reports of these two media outlets.

Reuters reported in an update on Saturday that a total of 41 countries have been included in the list. The first group consists of 10 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Cuba, North Korea, Somalia, Venezuela, Bhutan, Sudan, and Yemen. Citizens of these countries have had their visas fully suspended, meaning they are prohibited from entering the country.

The New York Times reported that there may be as many as 43 countries where citizens are restricted from entering, with the first group consisting of 11 countries. In addition to the 10 countries listed by Reuters, there is also Libya.

The New York Times categorizes the list of countries by color. The first group of countries that have been completely banned from entering are marked in red. The second group of restricted countries is orange. The third group of countries that are required to correct within a specified time frame are yellow.

Reuters reported that there are a total of 10 countries in the second group, including Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, and South Sudan. The visas for these countries will be partially suspended, mainly involving tourist, student, and immigration visas, with some exceptions. Business travel visas are an exception.

However, The New York Times also includes countries such as Russia, Belarus, and Sierra Leone in the second group, and citizens of these countries must undergo face-to-face interviews when applying for US visas.

The third group of countries listed by Reuters has the most, with a total of 26, including Belarus, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Angola, Benin, Cambodia, and other countries. If the governments of these countries do not make efforts to address the shortcomings within 60 days, their nationals' visas will also face partial suspension.

Reuters quoted an unnamed US official as saying that the content of this list of countries may still change because the list has not been approved by the government, and even Secretary of State Marco Rubio has not approved the list.

The New York Times was the first to report on the visa ban and restrictions in the United States. Reuters subsequently reported on this based on sources and internal memos seen by the US government.

During his first presidential term, Trump also implemented visa bans on seven predominantly Muslim countries. At that time, this ban faced a series of legal challenges, but the US Supreme Court ultimately ruled in 2018 that this policy was constitutional and legal.

Trump signed an executive order on the day of his swearing in on January 20 this year, requiring strict security review of all foreigners seeking to enter the United States to detect any threat to national security.

This executive order requires several cabinet members to submit a list of countries whose citizens must be banned or restricted from traveling to the United States due to "particularly insufficient audit information" provided by March 21.

Reuters pointed out that Trump's measures to ban and restrict visa issuance to certain countries are part of his efforts to combat illegal immigration since his first day back in the White House.

In a speech in October 2023, Trump openly stated that he would restrict people from the Gaza Strip, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, and "any other place that threatens our security" from entering the United States.

Reuters contacted the US State Department for comments on the matter, but did not receive an immediate response.

 

本文由老陈说事网站所有，非授权同意不能转载。网址：https://www.huangsien.ink/?id=3