Abuja: U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a fresh proclamation expanding entry restrictions into the country for nationals of countries identified as high risk to U.S. national security and public safety.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the move is informed by the persistent and severe deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information sharing by the affected countries, which threaten U.S. national security and public safety. The proclamation aims to strengthen the country’s national security through what it called common sense restrictions based on data.
The proclamation details that the restrictions and limitations are necessary to prevent the entry of foreign nationals about whom the United States lacks sufficient information to assess the risks they pose. It seeks to garner cooperation from foreign governments, enforce U.S. immigration laws, and advance other important foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism objectives. The document asserts it is the President’s duty to ensure that those seeking to enter the country will not harm the American people.
The document maintained full entry restrictions on nationals from 12 countries, which were previously listed under Proclamation 10949. These countries include Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Additionally, it introduced full restrictions on five more countries: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria.
Individuals holding travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority, Laos, and Sierra Leone, which were previously under partial restrictions, have now been placed under full restrictions. Furthermore, countries placed under partial entry restrictions include Burundi, Cuba, Togo, Venezuela, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The document further elaborates that many of the restricted countries suffer from widespread corruption, fraudulent or unreliable civil documents and criminal records, and nonexistent birth-registration systems, which systemically prevent accurate vetting. High visa-overstay rates and refusal to repatriate removable nationals from some countries demonstrate a disregard for U.S. immigration laws and burden American enforcement resources. Furthermore, terrorist presence, criminal activity, and extremist activity in several listed countries result in a general lack of stability and government control, causing deficient vetting capabilities and posing direct risks to American citizens and interests when nationals from these countries are admitted to the United States.