Trump to ban citizens of 11 countries from entering the US

The New York Times reported that the Donald Trump administration is considering imposing broader restrictions on citizens of 43 countries entering the United States. This new ban will have a broader scope than the restrictions imposed during Trump’s first term.

According to a proposed list prepared by US diplomatic and security officials, citizens of 11 countries will be completely banned from entering the US. These countries are: Iran, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cuba, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen

The New York Times wrote that the list is still under internal review; US officials have emphasized that the list is not yet finalized and that there are possibilities of changes. The proposal was developed by the US State Department a few weeks ago and is to be reviewed before being sent to the White House.

In addition, the draft plan proposes an “orange” list of 10 other countries. Nationals of these countries would not be banned entirely, but would be subject to restrictions. Under the plan, only wealthy businessmen would be allowed to enter, while travelers on immigrant or tourist visas would face restrictions.

The list includes countries such as Belarus, Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, Russia, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Turkmenistan. Under the proposal, nationals of these countries would be required to undergo in-person interviews to obtain visas.

The New York Times further wrote that it was unclear whether the ban would apply to holders of valid visas or whether the Trump administration would exempt green card (permanent resident) holders from the ban or cancel existing visas.

In 2017, Trump issued two executive orders, 13769 and 13780, banning citizens of seven Muslim countries, including Iran, from entering the United States under the pretext of "protection against the threat of terrorism," which caused a huge global controversy.

However, both of Trump's plans faced legal obstacles and several judges tried to stop their implementation, and eventually the third version of the plan was approved by the US Supreme Court and implemented.

After Joe Biden came to power, he canceled all of these orders.