Donald Trump ‘Considering Adding 36 More Countries’ to Expanding U.S. Travel Ban List
Donald Trump is also allegedly in the process of intensifying the firm stance on immigration by extending the U.S. travel ban in order to cover 36 new countries.
The incumbent president who is currently in his second term that is controversial to many outside his party has already restricted the access of citizens of 19 countries and is going ahead with what critics have termed as a massive globalization policy.
As tensions are increasing throughout the country, the proposed expansion is a response to it. The president, 79 years old has brought back to the boil national identity, immigration and international relations.
The recent action by his administration jeopardizes the relationship that the U.S stood to share with some portions of Africa, Asia, Caribbean, and the Middle East further.
Earlier in 2017, Trump also attempted travel prohibition after assuming office in his first term which was immediately challenged in court and was repealed by President Joe Biden.
However, Trump has not been slow in implementing and enlarging the policy upon his recapturing the White House.
In the preceding month, his government included twelve nations to the travel ban and limited access of another seven due to national security reasons. Trump ordered in a formal declaration:
We have to take the action to safeguard the national security and national interest of the United States and the people. To state it very simply, we cannot simply have open migration to any country in which we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen the person who tries to come in.”
His comments came after a violent assault on a pro-Israel demonstration in Colorado the killing of whom Trump has cited to support broad-based immigration limits.
Protests in large cities broke out in the following days in which Los Angeles experienced the worst riots following the deployment of ICE officials. The government reaction was quick and they brought military assistance to enforce order in the city- what many people considered as martial law in disguise.
Who Is Banned Already?
Even the banned countries list that exists at the current moment already is quite comprehensive including the following countries in particular:
Africa: Chad, Eritrea, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Nigeria
Asia & the Middle East: Afghanistan, Iran, Myanmar and Yemen
Haiti: (Caribbean) Balearic Islands, Cuba, Venezuela (Caribbean & Central & South America)
Others: Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Syria and Turkmenistan
People coming from these countries are not only advised not to travel but also their traveling is strictly limited with some exceptions.
36 Yet Another on the Chopping Block?
An internal memo that leaked has shown that 36 more countries have been given a period of 60 days to align themselves to new U.S security vetting policies. They as well will join the ban in case they do not meet the requirements.
The new additions may be those:
African countries: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Gabon, Gambia, Cape Verde, Sao Tome and principe
Asian countries: Bhutan, Cambodia, Egypt, Kyrgyzstan
Caribbean countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica,Saint Kitts and Nevis,Saint Lucia
Pacific Island: Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu
According to the administration officials these countries have been flagged because of inadequate screening and security cooperation.
Who is exempted?
The policy posed by Trump has some minor exemptions:
People who have been persecuted on religious grounds (especially by Iran)
Sportsmen having formal invites to U.S competitions
Special Immigrant Visa immigrants in Afghanistan
U.S. permanent residents and those dual nationals that have only one citizenship in a non-banned state
International Response and a National Response
The world leaders have been expressing disconcern about what they term as unfair, xenophobic, and damaging policies. Amnesty International, the ACLU and other human rights organizations have denounced the proposed expansion to be a sin against international norms.
In the domestic scene, demonstrations keep on increasing. According to civil liberties activists and communities of immigrants, they are expecting the human cost, which includes apart families, wasted potential, and degrading the international stock of America.
Nonetheless, Trump seems unwavered by the criticism. With the help of arch-Republican legislators and the right-wing media environment, his constituency regards a travel ban as the sign of a good leadership and a protectant of the nation.
However, with the 60 day deadline clocking down the world is observing to see whether these 36 countries will give in to the demands of Trump or be left out altogether.
New Executive Order Restricts Certain Passports in the US – Here’s What to Know
New Executive Order Bans These Passports in the US
On the 20th of January, 2025, just a few moments after taking the oath of office, President Donald Trump made public his ambitious and contentious immigration program.
Significant shifts in the United States government’s approach to immigration policy were ushered in by the newly inaugurated president through a series of executive orders that were extensive in scope. These are some of the measures that garnered the most attention:
Stopping Citizenship Based on Birthright
This instruction that seeks to radically modify a principle that has been deeply ingrained in United States law is perhaps the most controversial of these decrees.
Government agencies have been given the directive to refuse citizenship to children who were born in the United States of America if their parents do not satisfy certain requirements.
To be more specific, children who are born to mothers who are either undocumented or on temporary visas, and whose fathers are not citizens or permanent residents of the United States, will no longer be eligible for citizenship.
After thirty days have passed since the ban was signed, the regulation also prevents these youngsters from acquiring passports to enter the United States.
However, the implications of this decision are still unclear, and there is no clear indication of the legal position that these infants will retain when they are born. Some people believe that this could result in a generation of people who are without a nationality, which would then provoke heated disputes regarding the validity of the decree and its influence on humanitarian aid.
Task Forces and Enhanced Vetting Procedures
Additionally, additional orders that are focused on immigration enforcement have been issued in conjunction with the birthright citizenship directive.
These orders include the establishment of “Homeland Security Task Forces” and the implementation of new, more stringent screening procedures for immigrants. The administration claims that these regulations are intended to strengthen national security and ensure that immigration paths are subject to a more stringent level of government monitoring.
Documentation of executive orders
An assertive demonstration of his authority as he charts a new course for his administration, President Donald Trump is said to have signed over 200 executive orders in a single day, as reported by BBC News. Executive orders, in contrast to legislation, are directives issued by the president to the federal government.
These directives circumvent Congress and make it possible to make significant changes with the stroke of a pen.
According to the inflammatory title of one of the orders that he signed, “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” he signed one of the orders that caused the most controversy.
Due to the fact that the legislation intends to redefine gender in federal policy as merely male and female, it immediately stirred dispute after it was introduced.
Under the Executive Order, the Most Important Changes
Among the most significant effects that this arrangement has had are:
Prison Policies: Transgender people would no longer be confined in female jails. This move was portrayed as ensuring “biological truth,” however it was severely criticized by LGBTQ+ organizations as being hurtful and discriminatory.
Non-binary Americans were also the target of the order, which was directed toward passports for non-binary people.
The United States Department of State has placed a restriction on all applications for passports that feature the “X” gender identifier, which was initially introduced in October of 2021. This restriction is effective immediately.
This regulation has the potential to have an impact on around 1.2 million people in the United States who identify as non-binary.
An End to the Use of “X” Markers and a Return to Binary
The position of the administration was reaffirmed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio in an email that was acquired by The Guardian. He stated, “The policy of the United States is that an individual’s sex is not changeable.”
As a result of Rubio’s directive, the staff was directed to immediately stop applications that requested a “X” marker or any other sex marker alterations. This effectively eliminated the option for individuals who do not identify as either male or female.
Existing passports that have the classification “X” will continue to be valid for the time being; however, following the new laws, it is anticipated that the processes of renewing and updating passports will be significantly more difficult.
It has been warned by critics that this could result in a large number of non-binary Americans being trapped in the near future without the appropriate travel papers.
