New Trump travel ban may target dozens of countries
Washington DC - President Donald Trump may be mulling introducing strict travel restrictions for more than 40 countries, including an all-travel ban on at least 11 nations, reports suggest.
Officials close to the matter shared a 43-country list with The New York Times of nations that are likely to face either severe restrictions on travel into the US, or an outright ban.
The draft list is structured in a three-tier color-based system, each of which corresponds to different measures to stem travelers and put pressure on governments to yield to the Trump administration's various demands.
Tiers are structured in red, orange, and yellow, with red being the most extreme category, banning "all travel" into the US.
Orange countries may have their visas "sharply restricted," while yellow countries may be given "60 days to address concerns." As of writing, no further information is known about what those concerns are.
Weeks earlier, rumors surfaced that travel from Pakistan and Afghanistan would be banned by Trump, after an executive order directed Cabinet members to identify countries that should be restricted.
The report – which had a due date of March 12 – is now likely in the hands of Trump. If the draft list shared with The Times proves accurate, it would place Pakistan on the orange, not red list.
What countries are going to be banned by Trump?
The 43 countries mentioned in the New York Times report range from all across the world.
During Trump's first administration, he faced legal challenges after introducing a ban on travel from a number of Muslim countries. His "Muslim Ban" was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018, but repealed by President Biden in 2021.
The draft list would be a version from a few weeks ago and, as a result, may be significantly altered by the time it is put into effect.
Countries in the red "all travel banned" list
- Afghanistan
- Bhutan
- Cuba
- Iran
- Libya
- North Korea
- Somalia
- Sudan
- Syria
- Venezuela
- Yemen
Countries in the orange "sharply restricted" list
- Belarus
- Eritrea
- Haiti
- Laos
- Myanmar
- Pakistan
- Russia
- Sierra Leone
- South Sudan
- Turkmenistan
Countries in the yellow list
- Angola
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Benin
- Burkina Faso
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Cape Verde
- Chad
- Republic of Congo
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Dominica
- Equatorial Guinea
- Gambia
- Liberia
- Malawi
- Mali
- Mauritania
- St. Kitts and Nevis
- St. Lucia
- São Tomé and Príncipe
- Vanuatu
- Zimbabwe
In an October 2023 rally, Trump foreshadowed a list of banned or strictly controlled travel from certain countries, with a plan of directly targeting Muslims once again and introducing "ideological screening."
"If you empathize with Radical Islamic terrorists and extremists, you’re DISQUALIFIED," Trump said. "If you want to abolish the state of Israel, you’re DISQUALIFIED."
"If you support Hamas or the ideology behind Hamas, you’re DISQUALIFIED. And if you’re a Communist, Marxist, or Fascist, you are DISQUALIFIED."
Cover photo: AFP/Brendan Smialowski