It was in force this morning, time in Greece, following a decree signed last week by the US president.
For which countries the US is sealing Trump
This decision- taken to “protect foreign terrorists and other threats to national security”, as Trump said in his decree- concerns the citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo Brazavil, Ecuadorian, Ecuador, Sudan and Yemen.
The US government, which follows a particularly strict immigration policy, explained that these countries were included in the list as they do not have effective ways to ensure that travelers are properly inspected, adding that their citizens tend to remain in the US even after their expiration.
The same decree imposed restrictions on the provision of visa for the citizens of seven more countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
Trump compared his decision, announced on Wednesday, with the “effective restrictions” imposed on citizens of seven mainly Muslim states, known by its critics as “Muslim Ban” (the ban on Muslims) at the beginning of his first term in the US presidency in 2017.
Four countries are included in both directories, the 2017 and this year: Iran, Libya, Sudan and Yemen.
The White House announcement
«We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen… That is why today I am signing a new executive order placing travel restrictions on countries including Yemen, Somalia, Haiti, Libya, and numerous others.» –President Trump
— The White House (@WhiteHouse)
The reasons what the decree says
“As the president I must act to protect the national security and national interest of the US and their citizens,” Trump said in his decree, adding that he wishes to “protect the US from foreign terrorists”.
The Republican referred to the attack on Jews who committed June 1st in a Egyptian whose visa had expired to demonstrate “the extreme dangers involved in the US -entry of foreign citizens who have not undergone proper controls”.
This attack – with 12 injured – targeted participants on a weekly march demanding the release of Israeli prisoners held in the Gaza Strip. Egypt, a country of origin of the perpetrator, is not included in the list announced by Trump.
“We will not allow America to do what happened in Europe,” the US president stressed, referring to the attacks that have committed foreign citizens.
‘Racist and Hard’ – What the ‘Black’ List Countries
This prohibition is faced by many countries that have been in the Trump list.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed “his concern about international law” because of the “very broad and general scope” of the ban.
Amnesty International denounced the decree as “biased, racist and absolutely cruel”.
The African Union expressed “concern about the potential negative effects of such measures”, including “diplomatic relations” with the countries involved.
One of the countries, Chad, announced that in retaliation it is inhibiting visa to US citizens.
“I know the pain caused by the harsh and xenophobic travel bans of Trump, as my family has been hit hard,” Iranian American MP Yassamin Ansari wrote on Sunday. “We will fight against this ban with all our might,” he added.
However, the Trump ban provides exceptions for the holders of certain entry visas, diplomats and people whose trip to the US “serves the national interest”.
The ban in January 2017 sparked protests at many major US airports.
