
Trump threatens to expand travel ban list in coming months
The Trump administration is considering travel restrictions for 36 more countries, including major U.S. partners such as Egypt and Djibouti, according to an internal memo.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed a memo that said listed nations had 60 days to meet new State Department requirements.
The list includes 25 African countries, several Caribbean nations, four Asian countries, and three countries in Oceania.
Countries have until Wednesday to provide an initial action plan to the State Department to meet the new requirements.
This action follows Trump 's revival of his first-term travel ban and a full ban on entry from 12 countries, with restrictions on seven others, as part of his anti-immigration agenda.
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Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Shocking moment Gaza aid activists are dragged away by masked men as Egypt deports volunteers attempting to cross border
Gaza aid activists were violently dragged and carried onto buses by balaclava-clad Egyptian authorities. Footage shows authorities forcibly removing protesters from a sit-down demonstration at the Cairo border. Large numbers of protesters were rounded-up onto buses and will be deported. One protester, who spoke with an American accent, exclaimed: 'There's people in masks dragging people out.' While others can be heard chanting: 'Free Palestine '. Thousands of people have been arriving in the Egyptian capital since Thursday, with the intention of marching to the Rafah crossing in Gaza. It is part of the Global March to Gaza - a protest against Israel 's aid blockade on Gaza. Israel imposed a full 11-week humanitarian blockade on Gaza on March 2, cutting off food, medical supplies and other aid amid its ongoing conflict with the enclave. Around 4,000 volunteers landed in Cairo, then taking buses to the city of Arish in the north of the country's Sinai Peninsula. From there, they hoped to start their planned march, on a roughly 30-mile route, to the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing on the Gaza border. But organisers said that several dozen activists were stopped on the edge of Cairo as they attempted to reach the Suez Canal city of Ismailia, which is around a three-hour drive from Arish. A protester posted a video to social media while on a bus heading there, saying: 'This is an emergency. 'We have just been violently dragged into the buses here at the first checkpoint on the way to Ismailia. 'We were sitting quietly and not doing anything. We were debating that we would leave soon, in taxis back to Cairo because we did not break any law. 'And all of a sudden, several people stormed in and they started to push people and drag them violently outside. 'They have beaten people. I have seen one woman that was beaten in her face in front of me. They didn't leave time to grab the luggage or anything. 'So, this is one of the Secret Service people that was just walking in here. I have to stop this livestream now - we are in danger. This is an emergency. We need to help.' Most of the activists were ordered onto buses back to the capital after several hours of questioning - but some remain in custody. 'We were blocked for six to seven hours before security forces violently dispersed our group,' one organiser said. At least one activist was expelled from Egypt, several sources said, adding to dozens more denied entry or expelled in the run-up to the march. Egyptian authorities have not commented on the reported expulsions. The foreign ministry had warned that while Egypt backs efforts to put 'pressure on Israel' to lift its Gaza blockade, any foreign delegations intending to visit the border area must obtain prior permission. Uzma Usmani, the sponsorship and logistics lead for the UK delegation of the march, explained to CNN: 'This is just another tool, another way [for] the people to raise their voices, to let governments know that we are not happy. 'We need to take things into our own hands, to raise awareness, to put pressure on all the different governments so that they start taking action.' But in a statement on Wednesday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said allowing the activists through the border would 'endanger the security of IDF soldiers'. He added he expected Egypt 'to prevent the arrival of jihadist demonstrators to the border of Egypt-Israel and not to allow them to carry out provocations and to try to enter into Gaza'. Egypt is in an awkward position in the Israel-Palestine conflict, as a key mediator between Hamas and Israel, also trying to prevent conflict spilling into its own territory. It is also attempting to balance its ties with Israel and the United States with its own public condemnation of the war's brutal civilian impact on Gaza. The Global March to Gaza action comes just days after Israel intercepted Madleen, an aid ship bound for Gaza carrying activist Greta Thunberg on board. Thunberg, 22, was among 12 activists on board the ship, which hoped to 'break [Israel's] siege on the Gaza Strip' with a delivery of humanitarian aid. Israel 'forcibly intercepted' the British-flagged vessel at 3.02am local time on June 9, some 100 miles from the coast of Gaza, the FFC said in a statement. After diverting the boat to the port of Ashdod, Israel's foreign ministry posted a picture of the activists all in orange life jackets being offered water and sandwiches. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the crew were safe and unharmed, and would be taken to the Israeli Port of Ashdod where they would be shown a video of Hamas's October 7 atrocities. Of the 12 people on board the Madleen carrying food and supplies for Gaza, eight were taken into custody after they refused to leave Israel voluntarily. Four others, including Thunberg, were deported.


BreakingNews.ie
2 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Trump administration weighs adding 36 countries to travel ban, memo says
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, according to an internal State Department cable seen by Reuters. Earlier this month, the Republican president signed a proclamation that banned 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. Advertisement The directive was part of an immigration crackdown Trump launched this year at the start of his second term, which has included the deportation to El Salvador of hundreds of Venezuelans suspected of being gang members, as well as efforts to deny enrollments of some foreign students from US universities and deport others. In an internal diplomatic cable signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the State Department 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. The cable was first reported by the Washington Post. Advertisement Among the concerns the State Department 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. Some countries, the cable said, were not cooperative in facilitating the removal of its nationals from the United States who were ordered to be removed. Some countries were overstaying the US visas their citizens were being granted. Other reasons for concern were the nationals of the country were involved in acts of terrorism in the United States, or anti-semitic and anti-American activity. The cable noted that not all of these concerns pertained to every country listed. Advertisement "We are constantly reevaluating policies to ensure the safety of Americans and that foreign nationals follow our laws," a senior State Department official said, declining to comment on specific internal deliberations and communications. "The Department of State is committed to protecting our nation and its citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa process," the official said. World Donald Trump vetoed Israeli plan to kill Iran's su... Read More The countries that could face a full or a partial ban if they do not address these concerns within the next 60 days are: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cote 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. That would be a significant expansion of the ban that came into effect earlier this month. The countries affected were Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Advertisement The entry of people from seven other countries - Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela - has also been partially restricted. During his first in office, Trump announced a ban on travelers from seven Muslim-majority nations, a policy that went through several iterations before it was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.


The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Trump's team claims 250,000 supporters watched his military parade. ‘No Kings' protests drew at least 4 million, experts say
After dueling Army processions in Washington, D.C. and nationwide 'No Kings' protests, the war of spin has begun. Following the Saturday event in the Capitol, the Trump administration was quick to tout what appeared to be inflated attendance numbers and brand the 'No Kings' protest, which drew millions across events in some 2,000 cities and small towns across the country, as an ' utter failure with minuscule attendance.' 'Despite the threat of rain, over 250,000 patriots showed up to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army,' White House communications director Steven Cheung wrote on X. 'God Bless the USA!' Outside estimates, meanwhile, suggest there were far fewer in attendance than the 200,000 people expected to view the parade, which coincided with the president's birthday. Empty bleachers and gaps in the audience could be seen in the crowd that turned out to watch more than 6,000 soldiers and 128 Army tanks roll through Washington. 'When the day came, it was something closer to a medium-sized town's July 4th celebration,' The Independent 's Richard Hall wrote in his dispatch from the event. 'There were families, picnics, bad weather and small crowds.' Online, meanwhile, critics of the president poked fun at images from the event, including the unexpected appearance of Trump-aligned corporate sponsors like cryptocurrency firm Coinbase and Oracle, as well as a squeaky antique tank filmed driving through a largely silent section of the crowd, viewed by some as a symbol for the event's larger success. In terms of sheer numbers, the 'No Kings' events that took place the same day as the parade dwarfed the Trump administration's event, drawing between four and six million people, according to an estimate from data journalist G. Elliot Morris and outside analysts. The event's organizers have put the number at more than 5 million. Organizers purposely avoided throwing a protest in Washington, an effort they said was meant to draw focus away from the famously image-obsessed president. 'Instead of allowing this birthday parade to be the center of gravity, we will make action everywhere else the story of America that day: people coming together in communities across the country to reject strongman politics and corruption,' organizers wrote. The gambit appeared to be a success, and images of the nationwide protests were plastered across the front page of every major newspaper, sometimes crowding out the president's parade. Trump has long been fixated on the size of crowds at his events, beginning with his repeated, dubious claims that his first inauguration was the largest in U.S. history, a trend of boasting that continued through his 2024 campaign. In addition to the intentional political theater of the day — which included Trump-shaped puppets and crossed-out crown insignias on one hand, the White House framed in the background of the stage at the Army parade on the other — there were also striking, unplanned symbols of the present political moment. Saturday marked the first time that hundreds of U.S. Marines called to respond to ongoing unrest in Los Angeles were spotted joining law enforcement on the ground. Marines, federalized National Guard troops, and Los Angeles police officers and sheriff's deputies squared off with demonstrators outside a federal building that's been a center of protest for days as Angelenos challenge the Trump administration's immigration raids in the area. Police say demonstrators attacked law enforcement, while protesters and media members have described a largely peaceful crowd caught by surprise as officers wielding batons and tear gas with little warning after an order to disperse.