Egypt Daily News – According to informed sources and an internal memo, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is considering a comprehensive travel restriction on citizens of dozens of countries as part of a new ban.
The memo lists 41 countries divided into three groups. The first group, which includes 10 countries such as Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Cuba, and North Korea, will face a complete visa suspension.
In the second group, countries like Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, and South Sudan will face partial restrictions affecting tourism and student visas, as well as other immigration visas, with some exceptions.
In the third group, a partial suspension of U.S. visa issuance will be considered for 26 countries, including Belarus, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan, among others, if their governments fail to “address deficiencies within 60 days,” according to the memo.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, cautioned that the list is still subject to changes and requires approval from the administration, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The New York Times was the first to report on the list of countries. This move traces back to the travel ban imposed by President Donald Trump during his first term on travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries. The policy underwent several revisions before being upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.
On January 20, Trump issued an executive order to intensify security screening for any foreign national seeking entry into the United States to identify potential threats to national security. The order directed several administration officials to submit a list by March 21 of countries whose travel should be suspended either partially or entirely due to “seriously inadequate screening and vetting information.”
Trump’s directives are part of his crackdown on immigration at the beginning of his second presidential term. He outlined his plan in a speech in October 2023, where he pledged to restrict entry from Gaza, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, and “any other place that threatens our security.”
Complete Suspension:
Afghanistan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, Yemen.
Partial Suspension:
Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, South Sudan, Myanmar.
Partial Suspension if Deficiencies Persist:
Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Belarus, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Vanuatu.
