- The Trump-led US government is reportedly planning new travel restrictions for citizens from multiple countries, with different levels of visa suspensions
- Some nations may face a full visa ban, while others could have partial restrictions based on certain conditions
- However, the proposal is still under review and could change before final approval by President Trump
Washington DC, United States (US) - President Donald Trump's administration is reportedly considering issuing extensive travel restrictions on citizens from dozens of countries.
This is according to an internal memo obtained by Reuters.
Legit.ng gathers that the proposed measures would result in varying levels of visa suspensions for 41 nations, divided into three categories.
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Full visa suspension for 10 countries
Under the first category, a total of 10 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Cuba, and North Korea, among others, could face a complete suspension of US visa issuance.
This would effectively block citizens from these nations from entering the United States, according to the report.
Partial suspension for five nations
The second category outlines partial visa suspensions for five countries: Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, and South Sudan.
The restrictions would target tourist and student visas, as well as certain immigrant visas, with some exceptions.
26 countries given ultimatum
A third group of 26 countries, which includes Belarus, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan, could also face partial visa suspensions.
However, the memo states that their restrictions would be contingent on whether their respective governments address "deficiencies" in vetting procedures within 60 days.
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Meanwhile, some of the African countries listed for the travel restrictions include: Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Eritrea, South Sudan, Angola, Cameroon, and so on. As of the time of filing this report, Nigeria is not on the list.
US official speaks on planned visa ban
A US official, anonymously cited by Reuters, warned that the list of affected countries could still change.
Legit.ng gathers that the proposal has yet to receive final approval from the administration, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Recall that the move is similar to President Trump’s first-term travel ban, which initially targeted seven majority-Muslim nations. The policy went through multiple legal challenges before ultimately being upheld by the US Supreme Court in 2018.
The proposed travel ban aligns with President Trump’s ongoing immigration crackdown. In an October 2023 speech, he vowed to impose entry restrictions on individuals from Gaza, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, and other regions deemed security threats.
The US State Department has yet to issue an official comment regarding the development.
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Trump asks Supreme Court to allow birthright citizenship order
In another report, The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to allow his attempt at curtailing birthright citizenship to proceed.
On Thursday, March 13, the justice department’s acting solicitor general, Sarah Harris, filed a request to the nation’s highest court, asking it to restrict orders issued by district judges in Massachusetts, Maryland, and Washington that blocked Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship restrictions.
In her request, Harris described the Trump administration’s appeal as a “modest” one, urging the Supreme Court to “‘restrict the scope’ of multiple preliminary injunctions that ‘purpor[t] to cover every person in the country,’ limiting those injunctions to parties actually within the courts’ power.”
