US President Donald Trump has expanded the travel ban to include citizens of seven other countries, including Syria, as well as Palestinians.
The Republican tycoon signed a proclamation banning or placing further restrictions on the entry of foreigners "to protect the security of the United States," according to the text released by his White House staff.
The new countries affected by the measure are Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali, South Sudan and Syria, while in two other cases, Laos and Sierra Leone, partial restrictions are being transformed into a full ban. Palestinians holding travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority are also being targeted.
The Trump administration had already imposed a complete entry ban on citizens of a dozen countries, while citizens of dozens more are subject to some restrictions.
In the case of Syria, the measure was announced a few days after the deadly attack on American soldiers in the central part of the country.
The Trump administration claims to have identified countries where security checks are "so inadequate as to justify the full or partial suspension of the reception of their citizens."
The text provides for several exceptions, for people who reside in the United States permanently and legally, for people with previously issued visas, belonging to special categories (athletes, diplomats, etc.), as well as those whose entry into the territory "serves the national interests of the United States."
Since returning to power in January, Donald Trump has launched a large-scale campaign against illegal immigration, dramatically tightening the terms and conditions for entry into the United States and the issuance of passports, claiming he is doing so to protect "national security."
These measures are intended to prevent the entry into the country of foreigners who "have the intent to threaten" Americans, in the words of the White House.
And also to foreigners who could “harm the culture, government, institutions, or fundamental principles” of the United States.
Recently, the US president has spoken strongly against Somalis, emphasizing that "we don't want them in our country."
In June, he announced a ban on entry into the US of citizens from twelve countries, mainly in Asia and the Middle East (Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen).
On the other hand, Turkmenistan – one of the most isolated countries in the world – was exempted from the ban, with the White House yesterday speaking of “significant progress” in the Central Asian state.
Citizens of the Central Asian country can again obtain visas to enter the US, but with the necessary condition that they do not immigrate to the country.
During his first term (2017-2021), Donald Trump had similarly targeted several countries, mainly Muslim ones.
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