The Trump administration is reportedly weighing the implementation of extensive travel restrictions for citizens of numerous countries as part of a new ban, according to sources with knowledge of the situation and an internal memo reviewed by Reuters.
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Here is the complete list:
The memo outlines a list of 41 countries, categorized into three groups. The first group, consisting of 10 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Cuba, and North Korea, would face a complete suspension of visa issuance.
In the second group, five countries — Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar and South Sudan — would face partial suspensions that would impact tourist and student visas as well as other immigrant visas, with some exceptions, Reuters reported.
In the third group, a total of 26 countries that includes Belarus, Pakistan and Turkmenistan among others would be considered for a partial suspension of U.S. visa issuance if their governments “do not make efforts to address deficiencies within 60 days”, the memo said.
Reuters reported that a US official speaking on the condition of anonymity cautioned that the list could be changed and that it had yet to be approved by the administration, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The New York Times first reported on the list of countries.
The move echoes President Donald Trump’s first-term ban on travelers from seven majority-Muslim countries, a policy that underwent multiple revisions before being upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.
On January 20, Trump signed an executive order mandating stricter security vetting for foreign nationals seeking entry into the U.S., aiming to identify potential national security threats, Reuters reported.
That order directed several cabinet members to submit by March 21 a list of countries from which travel should be partly or fully suspended because their “vetting and screening information is so deficient.”
Trump’s directive is part of an immigration crackdown that he launched at the start of his second term.
The list could be changed and has yet to be approved by the administration.
He previewed his plan in an October 2023 speech, pledging to restrict people from the Gaza Strip, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and “anywhere else that threatens our security.”
(With inputs from Reuters)
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