Six new countries are entering the ban club of Trump administration following an official announcement by Trump administration on Friday. The new nations with the exceptions of their immigrants that have helped United States, hit by the travel ban will include Kyrgyzstan, Eritrea, Sudan, Nigeria, Burma and Tanzania. The latest move appeared three years after the White House introduced its first travel ban when Trump entered the office.
The sanctions are coming at a time when Trump has just signed USMCA trade pact to promote the trade between his country and neighbors Mexico and Canada meanwhile, the President has also earned acquittal in the Senate impeachment trial that will resume on Monday. The latest iteration has once again sparked strong criticism over its targeting of poor African nations and the lawmakers and human rights advocates groups are calling the move discriminatory and racist.
The administration contests their decision as a necessity for national security which ensures a certain level of identity management and information sharing of those subjected to the ban. The current ban halts the national of seven countries including Venezuela, Syria, Somalia, Yemen, Iran, North Korea and Libya with varying degrees of restrictions. Restrictions upon on the already included national will remains in place.
Chad was eliminated from the ban in last April after meeting the US requirements. Unlike the originally imposed policy, the new ban ropes in the immigration visa candidates from Eritrea, Nigeria, Burma and Kyrgyzstan. However, the citizens of Sudan and Tanzania are omitted from the green card lottery scheme according to a DHS official.
Around 12,398 people could be affected by the latest restrictions according to an official. The new laws will impact immigrants and not students and temporary visitors or refuge-seekers. The order signed by Trump will take effect on Feb 22 2020.
“Travelers on their way to the United States will not be denied entry as a result of this proclamation,” said the DHS official. Nationals of the six countries already in the US or those with a valid visa to come to the US will “not be impacted,” the added.
The administration explains the new measure as why it targeted the immigrant visas which included the communities of color, with two reasons: Firstly, the newly placed 6 nations have a greater prospect for improvement and secondly it will be more difficult to deport someone who has emigrated to states rather than a visitor or a tourist that entered U.S. on a temporary visit.
