Earlier this month, the Republican president issued a proclamation that barred the entry of citizens from 12 countries, citing the necessity of protecting the United States from “foreign terrorists” and other national security risks.
This directive is part of the immigration enforcement initiative that Trump initiated at the beginning of his second term, which has included the deportation of hundreds of Venezuelans suspected of gang affiliations to El Salvador, in addition to efforts to restrict enrollments of certain foreign students in US universities and to deport others.
An internal diplomatic cable signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio detailed numerous concerns about the identified countries and proposed remedial actions.
“The Department has pinpointed 36 countries of concern that might face recommendations for full or partial suspension of entry if they fail to meet defined benchmarks and requirements within 60 days,” the cable dispatched over the weekend indicated.
The Washington Post was the first to report on this cable.
Among the concerns raised by the State Department was the absence of a competent or cooperative government in some of the listed countries to produce reliable identity documents, as stated in the cable. Another issue was the “questionable security” associated with that country’s passport.
Some nations were reportedly uncooperative in aiding the removal of their nationals from the United States who had been ordered to leave. Additionally, certain countries were noted for having citizens who overstayed US visas.
Other significant concerns included the involvement of nationals in acts of terrorism within the United States or engaging in antisemitic and anti-American activities.
The cable clarified that not all of these concerns applied to every country mentioned.
The countries that may face a full or partial ban if they do not address these issues within the next 60 days include: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cote D’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Ethiopia, Egypt, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
This would represent a considerable expansion of the ban instituted earlier this month, which affected countries like Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
Additionally, the entry of individuals from seven other nations—Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela—has also been partially restricted.
During his first term in office, Trump implemented a ban on travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries, a policy that underwent several revisions before ultimately being upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.
