In a surprising move, President Donald Trump announced a travel ban affecting citizens from 12 countries set to take effect on Monday at 12:01 a.m. This decision has sparked rapid responses from the affected nations, which are now scrambling to comprehend the implications of Trump’s resurrected policy, originally a hallmark of his first term.
The newly introduced travel ban includes Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
Triggering heightened restrictions are seven additional countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. Notably, North Korea and Syria, which were included in the earlier ban during Trump’s previous administration, have been spared this time around.
Trump linked the announcement of the travel ban to a recent terrorist attack in Boulder, Colorado, stating that it highlighted the risks associated with certain visitors who overstay their visas.
The suspect in the Boulder incident is from Egypt, a country that is not part of the new restrictions. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that the suspect had overstayed a tourist visa.
The ban results from an executive order issued by Trump on January 20, which mandated the departments of State and Homeland Security, as well as the director of national intelligence, to produce a report examining “hostile attitudes” towards the U.S. and assessing whether entry from specific countries constitutes a national security risk.
In his justification, Trump elaborated on his recruitment of international data, emphasizing that certain countries failed to provide adequate screening and vetting processes and had historically resisted repatriating their citizens.
His findings heavily referenced an annual Homeland Security report that details visa overstays by tourists, business visitors, and students arriving via air and sea, consequently pinpointing nations with high rates of individuals remaining beyond their visa expiration.
Experts have long noted the difficulty of accurately capturing visa overstay rates. The government has only undertaken limited efforts to do so annually since 2016.
While Trump’s latest proclamation effectively identifies several notorious offenders, it does neglect others, such as Djibouti, which recorded a 23.9% overstay rate among business visitors and tourists for the year ending September 2023, surpassing multiple countries included in the travel restrictions.
Critics of the travel ban, including Doug Rand, a former Biden administration official with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, argued that the findings are built on questionable data and represent misplaced collective punishment.
The impact of the ban has rippled across various nations. Venezuelan interior minister Diosdado Cabello expressed disdain for those traveling to the U.S., branding them as “fools.” The ban represents a significant hurdle for Venezuelans, who have already faced restrictions in their travel plans after the two nations severed diplomatic relations in 2019.
“If you are a fool, then go to the United States,” Cabello remarked.
Meanwhile, the African Union Commission urged the Trump administration to revisit its decision, requesting that the U.S. safeguard its borders and citizens while balancing its approach in light of the long-standing partnership with Africa.
International advocacy organizations took a harsher stance, condemning the policy as one that aims to create division and demonize communities seeking refuge and opportunities in the U.S. Abby Maxman, president of Oxfam America, stated, “This policy is not about national security — it is about sowing division and vilifying communities.”
The Somali travel industry is particularly unsettled by the announcement. In Mogadishu, travel agent Bashir Farah Ali of Kofi Express Travel Services highlighted the importance of travel to the U.S. for the Somali diaspora, noting that the ban disrupts a critical connection for families.
“The United States is home to the largest Somali diaspora in the world, and for years it has been one of our most active and reliable destinations,” Ali stated. “Every month I facilitated travel for at least 10 clients, mostly government officials attending conferences, diplomatic meetings, or U.N. events, as well as ordinary citizens traveling to reunite with their families after years of separation.”
The reaction in Iran has further underscored the unexpected nature of Trump’s travel ban. Despite the long history of tension between the United States and Iran, many Iranians were taken aback by the news. Thousands of university students travel to America each year for education, and many have close relatives in the U.S., some of whom left after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Nasrin Lajvardi, a mother from Iran, expressed her distress over the implications for her daughter’s educational plans.
“My elder daughter got a bachelor’s degree from a top Iranian university and planned to continue in the U.S., but now she is badly distressed,” she said.
In an unusual twist, Mehri Soltani, a resident of Tehran, provided a rare acknowledgment of the travel ban, suggesting that while individuals with family in the U.S. should have the right to travel, there remain concerns about a subset of travelers with nefarious intentions.
“Those who have family members in the U.S, it’s their right to go, but a bunch of bad people and terrorists and murderers want to go there as well,” Soltani noted.
In Afghanistan, the reaction was one of disappointment. Ilias Kakal, a Taliban guard stationed outside the former U.S. Embassy in Kabul, voiced discontent over the travel ban.
“America has no right to do this and implement this ban,” he said. “America has to cancel it.”
Moreover, travel agents in Afghanistan indicated that the new policy might not effectively alter the circumstances of Afghan passport holders, who have long faced challenges in securing U.S. visas.
Since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, only those with foreign passports or green cards could travel to the United States with relative ease. Even former Afghan allies applying for special visas due to their cooperation with U.S. forces have encountered significant hurdles.
Trump’s first term introduced a travel ban via an executive order in January 2017, affecting citizens from seven predominantly Muslim countries, a moment that symbolized disorder and uncertainty across U.S. airports. Over time, the order faced legal challenges until a version was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.
Defenders of the initial travel ban cite national security reasons, asserting that it aimed to bolster the nation’s defenses and was not born from anti-Muslim sentiments. However, critics note that Trump previously called for a definitive ban on Muslim entry during his first campaign for the presidency.
As this latest iteration of the travel ban prepares to take effect, the dynamics of international relations and the implications of national security will continue to be debated both at home and abroad.
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