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TimesLIVE
9 hours ago
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
Tiny Tuvalu seeks assurance from US its citizens won't be barred
Tuvalu, a tiny Pacific nation that scientists predict will be submerged by rising seas, said it is seeking written assurance from the US that its citizens will not be barred from entry after apparently being mistakenly included in a list of 36 countries facing visa bans. An internal diplomatic cable signed by US secretary of state Marco Rubio showed the US, which has barred entry for citizens from 12 countries, was considering expanding travel restrictions to the 36 countries, including three Pacific Island states, Reuters and other media reported last month. Nations on the list would have 60 days to take corrective action, the cable showed. The news had caused significant concern in Tuvalu, whose population of 11,000 is at risk from rising sea levels, and where a third of residents have applied to an Australian ballot for a landmark climate migration visa. Tuvalu's ambassador to the UN, Tapugao Falefou, said he had been told by a US official that Tuvalu's inclusion on the list was 'an administrative and systemic error on the part of the US department of state'. On Tuesday, Tuvalu's government said it had not received formal notification that it was on the list, and had also been assured by the US embassy in Fiji it was 'an error within the system'. 'The embassy has provided verbal assurances that there are no restrictions on Tuvaluan nationals entering the US, and the matter is being reviewed with authorities in Washington,' the statement from Tuvalu's ministry of foreign affairs, labour and trade said. It added Tuvalu was seeking a 'formal written confirmation to that effect and continues to engage the US government to ensure Tuvaluans are not unfairly affected'.
The Sun
12 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Tuvalu seeks US assurance after visa ban list error
SYDNEY: Tuvalu, a tiny Pacific nation that scientists predict will be submerged by rising seas, said it is seeking written assurance from the United States that its citizens will not be barred from entry after being apparently mistakenly included in a list of 36 countries facing visa bans. An internal diplomatic cable signed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio showed the United States, which has already barred entry for citizens from 12 countries, was considering expanding travel restrictions to the 36 countries, including three Pacific Island states, Reuters and other media reported last month. Nations on the list would have 60 days to take corrective action, the cable showed. The news had caused significant concern in Tuvalu, whose population of 11,000 is at risk from rising sea levels, and where a third of residents have applied to an Australian ballot for a landmark climate migration visa. Tuvalu's ambassador to the United Nations, Tapugao Falefou, said he had been told by a U.S. official that Tuvalu's inclusion on the list was 'an administrative and systemic error on the part of the U.S. Department of State'. In a statement on Tuesday, Tuvalu's government said it had not received any formal notification that it was on the list, and had also been assured by the United States embassy in Fiji it was 'an error within the system'. 'The Embassy has provided verbal assurances that there are no current restrictions on Tuvaluan nationals entering the United States, and that the matter is being reviewed with authorities in Washington,' the statement from Tuvalu's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Labour and Trade said. It added Tuvalu was seeking a 'formal written confirmation to that effect and continues to engage the U.S. Government to ensure Tuvaluans are not unfairly affected'. The U.S. embassy in Fiji, citing U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order suspending entry for 12 countries, said in a statement to Reuters on Wednesday that the United States was protecting national security through the its visa process. 'The Department of State and other U.S. government agencies assess other countries' security capabilities; information-sharing and identity management practices; exploitation of the U.S. visa system, such as overstay rates; and failure to facilitate the repatriation of their removable nationals,' a spokesperson for the U.S. embassy in Suva said. The Secretary of State would consult with the Attorney General, Homeland Security and the Director of National Intelligence to assess whether suspensions should be 'continued, terminated, modified or supplemented', the statement added. A U.S. official familiar with visa policy who is not authorized to speak publicly told Reuters 'no decisions have been made, and any speculation is premature'. 'Tuvalu's public statement mischaracterizes and omits some of the valid concerns the United States has with travelers from that country,' the official added. The other Pacific Islands listed in the cable were Vanuatu and Tonga. Tonga's government had received an official U.S. warning, and was working on a response, Tonga media reported. Vanuatu's government did not respond to a request for comment.
South China Morning Post
13 hours ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Tiny Pacific nations fear US travel bans. Why?
Tuvalu , a tiny Pacific nation that scientists predict will be submerged by rising seas, said it was seeking written assurance from the United States that its citizens would not be barred from entry after being apparently mistakenly included in a list of 36 countries facing visa bans. An internal diplomatic cable signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio showed the United States, which has already barred entry for citizens from 12 countries, was considering expanding travel restrictions to the 36 countries, including three Pacific island states, it was reported last month Nations on the list would have 60 days to take corrective action, the cable showed. The news had caused significant concern in Tuvalu, whose population of around 11,000 is at risk from rising sea levels, and where a third of residents have applied to an Australian ballot for a landmark climate migration visa The serpentine coastline of Funafuti Atoll, home to nearly half of Tuvalu's entire population. Photo: AFP Tuvalu's ambassador to the United Nations , Tapugao Falefou, said he had been told by a US official that Tuvalu's inclusion on the list was 'an administrative and systemic error on the part of the US Department of State'. In a statement on Tuesday, Tuvalu's government said it had not received any formal notification that it was on the list, and had also been assured by the United States embassy in Fiji it was 'an error within the system'.
ABC News
a day ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Island nation Tuvalu seeks US assurance its citizens won't be barred from entering after US 'error'
The Tuvalu government said it is seeking confirmation from the United States that its citizens will not be barred from entry, after the island nation said its inclusion on the US's list of countries facing travel bans was an "error". An internal diplomatic cable signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio showed the US, which had already barred entry for citizens from 12 countries, was reportedly considering expanding travel restrictions to another 36 countries, including three Pacific Island states. Nations on the list would have 60 days to take corrective action, the cable showed. The news had caused significant concern for the 11,000 residents on the island of Tuvalu, which scientists predict will be submerged by rising sea levels. Tuvalu's ambassador to the United Nations, Tapugao Falefou, said he was told by a US official that Tuvalu's inclusion on the list was "an administrative and systemic error on the part of the US Department of State". In a statement, Tuvalu's government said it had not received any formal notification that it was on the list, and was assured by the US embassy in Fiji it was "an error within the system". "The embassy has provided verbal assurances that there are no current restrictions on Tuvaluan nationals entering the United States, and that the matter is being reviewed with authorities in Washington," the statement from Tuvalu's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Labour and Trade said. It added that Tuvalu was seeking a "formal written confirmation to that effect and continues to engage the US government to ensure Tuvaluans are not unfairly affected". The embassy did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. A US official familiar with visa policy who was not authorised to speak publicly told Reuters that "no decisions have been made, and any speculation is premature". "Tuvalu's public statement mischaracterises and omits some of the valid concerns the United States has with travellers from that country," the official added. The other Pacific Islands listed in the cable were Vanuatu and Tonga. Henrietta McNeill, a Pacific security and geopolitics researcher at the Australian National University said it "made sense" if Tuvalu's inclusion on the list of 36 countries facing visa bans was a mistake. She said unlike Tonga and Vanuatu, Tuvaluans respectively, did not have a history of overstaying visas or have in place a citizenship by investment scheme, aspects which the US was clamping down on. "If anything, the integrity of their nationals is very clear given the Falepili Union and the fact that Australia wants Tuvaluans to migrate to Australia." Both Australia and New Zealand have established permanent migration pathways for Tuvaluans through an annual ballot system. Around a third of the island's residents have already applied to migrate under the Falepili Union, which Australia entered with Tuvalu last year. The scheme will grant 280 Tuvaluans a permanent visa to Australia each year, while New Zealand's scheme, which began in 2001, allowed 75. In practice, Dr McNeill said the removal of Tuvalu on the US's list of countries with visa bans would unlikely benefit the lives of Tuvaluans much as there are no migration partnership in place. However, the relaxing of travel and migration restrictions could bolster US diplomacy in the Pacific, particularly against China's influence in the region. "The US doesn't always know how to engage in the Pacific Island region." "Migration is a significant part of soft power and we're definitely seeing that through Australia's use of the Falepili scheme . "I think that this [visa removal] will have an effect on diplomatic relations with the US." ABC with Reuters
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tiny Tuvalu seeks assurance from US its citizens won't be barred
By Kirsty Needham SYDNEY (Reuters) -Tuvalu, a tiny Pacific nation that scientists predict will be submerged by rising seas, said it is seeking written assurance from the United States that its citizens will not be barred from entry after being apparently mistakenly included in a list of 36 countries facing visa bans. An internal diplomatic cable signed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio showed the United States, which has already barred entry for citizens from 12 countries, was considering expanding travel restrictions to the 36 countries, including three Pacific Island states, Reuters and other media reported last month. Nations on the list would have 60 days to take corrective action, the cable showed. The news had caused significant concern in Tuvalu, whose population of 11,000 is at risk from rising sea levels, and where a third of residents have applied to an Australian ballot for a landmark climate migration visa. Tuvalu's ambassador to the United Nations, Tapugao Falefou, said he had been told by a U.S. official that Tuvalu's inclusion on the list was "an administrative and systemic error on the part of the U.S. Department of State". In a statement on Tuesday, Tuvalu's government said it had not received any formal notification that it was on the list, and had also been assured by the United States embassy in Fiji it was "an error within the system". "The Embassy has provided verbal assurances that there are no current restrictions on Tuvaluan nationals entering the United States, and that the matter is being reviewed with authorities in Washington," the statement from Tuvalu's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Labour and Trade said. It added Tuvalu was seeking a "formal written confirmation to that effect and continues to engage the U.S. Government to ensure Tuvaluans are not unfairly affected". The embassy did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. A U.S. official familiar with visa policy who is not authorized to speak publicly told Reuters "no decisions have been made, and any speculation is premature". "Tuvalu's public statement mischaracterizes and omits some of the valid concerns the United States has with travelers from that country," the official added. The other Pacific Islands listed in the cable were Vanuatu and Tonga. Tonga's government had received an official U.S. warning, and was working on a response, Tonga media reported. Vanuatu's government did not respond to a request for comment.
