Reviewing Trump's second travel ban and national security concerns

Yahoo

2 days ago

President Donald Trump on Wednesday brought back a piece of his first administration, announcing a travel ban on citizens from 12 countries and restrictions on people from seven others.
Trump signed a proclamation that banned individuals from those countries from entering the United States come Monday at 12:01 a.m.
The ban will affect Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
The seven restricted countries include Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
In his announcement, Trump cited national security concerns.
He said in a video that the recent attack in Boulder, Colorado, underscored the 'extreme dangers' posed by people who overstay their visas. The suspect in Colorado is from Egypt, which is not one of the countries included in Trump's new travel ban.
'In the 21st Century, we've seen one terror attack after another carried out by foreign visa overstayers from dangerous places all over the world, and thanks to Biden's open door policies, today, there are millions and millions of these illegals who should not be in our country,' Trump said. 'In my first term, my powerful travel restrictions were one of our most successful policies and they were a key part of preventing major foreign terror attacks on American soil.'
He said more countries could be added to the list if threats arise later on.
Trump signed an executive order on Inauguration Day that signaled he had plans for a new travel ban. The order instructed the State Department to identify countries with inadequate vetting and screening processes.
A draft list was reviewed by The New York Times in March, but it showed the administration was considering restrictions for many more countries than the ones included in Wednesday's proclamation.
In his video, Trump said he directed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to review 'high-risk regions' and to make recommendations for restrictions.
The State Department examined national security threats, countries that had a 'large-scale presence' of terrorists, a failure to cooperate for visa security, difficulty verifying traveler identity and countries that had high rates of visa overstays, Trump said.
'Very simply, we cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen those who seek to enter the United States,' he said.
This policy is similar to the previous travel ban under Trump's first administration, as it seeks to curb migration from a specific country.
The original list included Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen.
This time, Trump is also likely to face less legal challenges, experts told the Times, likely due to the delay in the ban beginning and the variation of countries impacted.
The original travel ban, often referred to as the 'Muslim ban,' was sharply criticized, but the Trump administration insisted it was in place for national security reasons and not on anti-Muslim grounds.
In his proclamation Wednesday, Trump said he must protect the national security and national interest of the United States and its citizens.
While Trump cited the recent attack in Boulder, deemed by authorities to be an antisemitic terror attack, Egypt, the suspect's home country, is not on the list.
The current list of impacted countries could change in the future, if governments work with the U.S., the announcement said.
He said he is committed to engaging with the impacted countries that are willing to cooperate and improve 'information-sharing and identify-management procedures,' as well as address terrorism and public safety risks.
'Some of the countries with inadequacies face significant challenges to reform efforts. Others have made important improvements to their protocols and procedures, and I commend them for these efforts,' the proclamation said. 'But until countries with identified inadequacies address them, members of my Cabinet have recommended certain conditional restrictions and limitations.'
While Trump did not entirely outline his reasoning for all of the bans, citing 'serious damage to the national security' of the U.S. if he released it, he shared a bit about why the restrictions were going into effect.
For example, Afghanistan's ban cited the Taliban as a designated global terrorist group and its lack of 'competent or cooperative central authority' for issuing passports and security screening. Burma is on the list because it has a high rate of visa overstays in the U.S., and Haiti poses national security concerns to the U.S. because of its visa overstay rate and criminal network establishment.
The inclusion of Afghanistan on the banned list angered supporters who have worked to resettle people, the AP reported.
However, the proclamation makes certain exceptions, including for Afghan Special Immigrant Visas, which are given to individuals who have worked closely with the U.S. during the war.
Other exceptions include adoptions, visas for ethnic and religious minorities being persecuted in Iran, athletes or members of athletic teams traveling for the World Cup, Olympics or other major sporting events, and immediate family immigrant visas, among others.