WASHINGTON (Reuters)-US President Donald Trump’s government is considering significantly expanding their travel restrictions, potentially prohibiting citizens from 36 countries in the United States, according to an internal US Department of the State Department obtained by Reuters.
This month, the Republican President signed a decree prohibiting the entry of citizens from 12 countries in the US, claiming that the measure is necessary to protect the country from “foreign terrorists” and other threats to national security.
In an internal diplomatic telegram signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the State Department delineated a dozen concerns about the countries under evaluation and requested corrective actions.
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“The department has identified 36 countries of concern that total or partial suspension of entry may be recommended if they do not comply with the criteria and requirements established within 60 days,” said communication sent over the weekend.
The telegram was initially released by the Washington Post.
Among the concerns raised by the State Department were the lack of a competent or cooperative government in some of the countries mentioned to issue reliable identity documents, according to the document. Another concern was the “questionable security” of the passports of these countries.
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Countries that may suffer total or partial prohibition if they do not resolve such issues in the next 60 days are: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Butão, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibuti, Dominica, Ethiopia, Egypt, Gabão, Gambia, Ghana, Tree, Qyrt, Breed. Liberia, Malaui, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, St. Christopher and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
This would be a significant expansion of the ban that came into force this month. The affected countries were Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritreia, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
The entry of people from seven other countries – Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela – was also partially restricted.
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(Report by Humeyra Pamuk)
