US President Donald Trump’s MAJOR crackdown on immigration: Expands travel ban on THESE five countries, imposes restrictions on…

In another major crackdown on immigration, US President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation to expand US travel restrictions, with 20 more countries and the Palestinian Authority being added to the list. A full travel ban has been imposed on five more countries. 

This comes following the US' decision to ban Afghanistan after the recent arrest of an Afghan national accused of the shooting of two National Guard troops near the White House over Thanksgiving weekend. The White House in its clarification said that this action is taken as a part of its effort to tighten US entry standards, amid security concerns.  The administration did not say when the new measures will take effect.

Which countries will face a ban?

• 5 countries to face full ban are Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria
• Another 15 countries were added to the partial-restriction list. They are Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, the Ivory Coast, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
• The administration also fully restricted travel by people using Palestinian Authority-issued travel documents. 

In June, President Donald Trump announced that citizens of 12 countries would be banned from visiting the United States and those from seven others would face restrictions. The June ban covered Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Partial restrictions were imposed on Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.

The restrictions apply to visitors and immigrants. They affect people seeking short-term travel and those seeking permanent entry.
 

Who all are exempted from this ban?

• People who already hold valid US visas are exempt. 
• Lawful permanent residents are exempt. 
• Diplomats, athletes, and some other visa holders are exempt. 
• Entry may also be allowed if it serves US interests. 
   

​Why was this decision taken?

The Trump administration said the travel ban imposed on many of the countries where there is “widespread corruption, fraudulent or unreliable civil documents and criminal records” made it difficult to vet their citizens for travel to the U.S. 

The administration added that some countries had high rates of people overstaying their visas, refused to take back their citizens who the U.S. wished to deport or had a “general lack of stability and government control,” which made vetting difficult, as AP reported.