Trump weighs expanding travel ban to 36 countries, including Syria and Egypt
The Trump administration is weighing a dramatic expansion of its travel ban to include citizens from 36 additional countries, including Syria and Egypt, according to a US State Department cable seen by The Washington Post.
The internal cable, signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and sent to US diplomatic missions on Saturday, outlined a range of concerns about the listed countries and gave them 60 days to address shortcomings or face possible travel restrictions.
'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 stated.
Among the reasons cited are governments' inability or unwillingness to issue reliable identity documents, 'questionable security' of passports, and lack of co-operation in repatriating nationals ordered removed from the United States.
The cable also flagged visa overstays, as well as terrorism-related activity, anti-Semitism, and anti-American conduct by nationals from some of the countries. However, it emphasised that not all criteria applied to every country on the list.
The proposed expansion would mark one of the largest enlargements of the travel restrictions first implemented under Mr Trump in 2017, which initially targeted several Muslim-majority countries and sparked widespread protests and legal battles.
The countries that could face a full or partial ban if they fail to address these concerns within the next 60 days include Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
This would mark a major expansion of the ban implemented earlier this month, which initially targeted Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
Additionally, entry restrictions have been partially imposed on individuals from seven other nations: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
The State Department has given those countries until Wednesday to present an initial plan for meeting the new requirements.
full entry ban on 12 countries and new travel restrictions on seven others.
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