The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is considering implementing a new travel ban that would impose varying levels of restrictions on citizens from dozens of countries, The New York Times reported on Friday.
According to anonymous officials cited by the publication, a draft list includes 43 countries categorized into three levels of travel restrictions. The most severe, the “red” category, consists of nations whose citizens would be completely barred from entering the United States. These countries include Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen.
The “orange” category comprises 10 countries—Belarus, Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, Russia, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Turkmenistan—whose citizens would face stringent visa restrictions. The New York Times reported that while affluent business travelers might still be allowed entry, those applying for immigrant or tourist visas would be denied. Additionally, applicants from these countries would be required to attend in-person interviews to receive a visa.
A third group of 22 countries, placed on the “yellow” list, would be given 60 days to address U.S. security concerns or face the possibility of being moved into a stricter category with harsher restrictions.
Officials who discussed the matter anonymously noted that the list had been prepared by the State Department weeks earlier and was still subject to revision before being finalized by the White House.
As one of his first actions in office, Trump suspended the U.S. refugee admission program and significantly reduced foreign aid. He also directed the government to identify nations whose citizens should be barred from entering the United States on security grounds, a move reminiscent of the controversial “Muslim ban” from his first term.
The initial 2017 travel ban targeted citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen, triggering global criticism and legal challenges within the U.S. judiciary. Iraq and Sudan were later removed from the list, but in 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a revised version of the ban, which remained in effect for the other listed countries, as well as North Korea and Venezuela.
Red list
Countries whose citizens would be completely barred from entering the United States include:
Afghanistan
2. Bhutan.
3. Cuba.
4. Iran
5. Libya
6. North Korea
7. Somalia
8. Sudan
9. Syria
10. Venezuela
11. Yemen
Orange list
Citizens from countries on the orange list would also have to undergo in-person interviews to receive a visa. These countries include:
12. Belarus
13. Eritrea
14. Haiti
15. Laos
16. Myanmar
17. Pakistan
18. Russia
19. Sierra Leone
20. South Sudan
21. Turkmenistan
Yellow List
They would have 60 days to address US concerns or risk being moved up to one of the more stringent categories. The following countries fall into that category:
22. Angola
23. Antigua and Barbuda
24. Benin
25. Burkina Faso
26. Cambodia
27. Cameroon
28. Cape Verde
29. Chad
30. Republic of Congo
31. Democratic Republic of Congo
32. Dominica
33. Equatorial Guinea
34. Gambia
35. Liberia
36. Malawi
37. Mali
38. Mauritania
39. St. Kitts and Nevis
40. St. Lucia
41. SĂŁo TomĂ© and PrĂncipe
42. Vanuatu
43. Zimbabwe
credit: channels tv