U.S. President, Donald Trump, plans to extend his controversial travel ban to citizens of other countries. The new travel restrictions should impact people from North Korea and Venezuela
The original ban, which had been imposed on citizens from six predominantly Muslim countries, had expired. The new regulation was to enter into force on October 18, 2017, the US government announced.
North Korea and Venezuela will be the first non-Muslim countries on the travel restrictions list. The remaining countries are Iran, Libya, Syria, Chad, Yemen and Somalia. These countries did not meet the requirements of the U.S. government for adequate security checks of visa applicants and information exchange.
Iraqi travelers are not forbidden to enter the U.S., but they must be subject to strict security checks. Sudan is no longer on the list.
The travel ban is one of Trump’s most controversial decrees. After several setbacks in court, it was approved in June 2017 with restrictions by the Supreme Court. Trump justified the prohibition with national security.
The new travel restrictions are more detailed and specific to the individual countries concerned than the previous 90-day restrictions for the six countries. These provisional rules are now under way.
According to the new order, there are visa barriers for immigration and visitors from Chad, Libya, Syria, North Korea and Yemen. The same applies to Iran, with the exception of valid visas for students and exchange students, who have been intensively examined. In the case of Venezuela, entry is prohibited for certain government members and their family members. In Somalia, the ban refers to immigration visas.
It depends on the circumstances how long the restrictions will apply. They could be lifted if countries concerned cooperate with the U.S. government “to ensure the safety of Americans”.