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WASHINGTON -- Governments of 12 countries whose citizens volition beryllium banned from visiting the United States opening adjacent week scrambled connected Thursday to recognize President Donald Trump’s latest determination to resurrect a hallmark argumentation of his archetypal term.
The prohibition takes effect Monday astatine 12:01 a.m., a cushion that whitethorn debar the chaos that unfolded astatine airports nationwide erstwhile a akin measurement took effect with virtually nary announcement successful 2017. Trump, who signaled plans for a caller prohibition upon taking bureau again successful January, appears to beryllium connected firmer crushed this clip aft the Supreme Court sided with him.
Some of the 12 countries besides appeared connected the database of banned countries successful the Republican president’s archetypal term. The caller prohibition targets Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
There volition besides beryllium heightened restrictions connected visitors from 7 different countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. But North Korea and Syria, which were connected the banned database successful the archetypal Trump administration, were spared this time.
Trump tied the caller prohibition to Sunday’s terror attack successful Boulder, Colorado, saying it underscored the dangers posed by immoderate visitors who overstay visas. The fishy successful the onslaught is from Egypt, which is not connected Trump’s restricted list. The Department of Homeland Security says helium overstayed a tourer visa.
The question prohibition results from a Jan. 20 enforcement bid Trump issued requiring the departments of State and Homeland Security and the manager of nationalist quality to compile a study connected “hostile attitudes” toward the U.S. and whether introduction from definite countries represented a nationalist information risk.
Trump said immoderate countries had “deficient” screening and vetting oregon person historically refused to instrumentality backmost their ain citizens. His findings trust extensively connected an yearly Homeland Security study of visa overstays of tourists, concern visitors and students who get by aerial and sea, singling retired countries with precocious percentages of those remaining aft their visas expired.
Capturing overstay rates has riddled experts for decades, but the authorities has made a constricted effort each twelvemonth since 2016. Trump’s proclamation cites overstay rates for 8 of the 12 banned countries and each 7 restricted ones.
While Trump’s database captures galore of the astir egregious offenders, it omits others. Djibouti, for example, had a 23..9% overstay complaint among concern visitors and tourists successful the 12-month play done September 2023, higher than 7 countries connected the banned database and six countries connected the restricted list.
The findings are “based connected sketchy information and a misguided conception of corporate punishment,” said Doug Rand, a erstwhile Biden medication authoritative astatine U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Venezuela’s interior minister, Diosdado Cabello, said being successful the United States is simply a “great risk” and called anyone who travels to the U.S. “a fool.” The determination is simply a important stroke to Venezuelans who were already constricted successful their U.S. question plans since some governments broke diplomatic relations successful 2019.
“If you are a fool, past spell to the United States,” Cabello said.
The African Union Commission, meanwhile, asked the Trump medication to reconsider, saying it was appealing to the United States to workout its sovereign close to support its borders and guarantee the information of its citizens “in a mode that is balanced, evidence-based, and reflective of the long-standing concern betwixt the United States and Africa.”
International assistance groups and exile resettlement organizations took a harsher tone: “This argumentation is not astir nationalist information — it is astir sowing part and vilifying communities that are seeking information and accidental successful the United States,” said Abby Maxman, president of Oxfam America.
A question cause successful the Somali capital, Mogadishu, said the argumentation threatens the question and work industry.
'The United States is location to the largest Somali diaspora successful the world, and for years it has been 1 of our astir progressive and reliable destinations," said Bashir Farah Ali, manager of Kofi Express Travel Services. “Every period I facilitated question for astatine slightest 10 clients, mostly authorities officials attending conferences, diplomatic meetings, oregon U.N. events, arsenic good arsenic mean citizens traveling to reunite with their families aft years of separation."
News of the caller Trump question prohibition came arsenic a daze to galore successful Iran contempt the decades of enmity betwixt the 2 countries. Reports suggest thousands of assemblage students each twelvemonth question to America to study, and others person extended families surviving successful America, immoderate of whom fled aft the archetypal 1979 Islamic Revolution that overthrew the shah.
“My elder girl got a bachelor’s grade from a apical Iranian assemblage and planned to proceed successful the U.S., but present she is severely distressed,” said Nasrin Lajvardi, a 56-year-old parent of two.
While tensions besides stay precocious arsenic negotiations implicit Iran’s atomic program person yet to scope immoderate agreement, Tehran nonmigratory Mehri Soltani offered uncommon enactment for Trump’s decision.
“Those who person household members successful the U.S, it’s their close to go, but a clump of atrocious radical and terrorists and murderers privation to spell determination arsenic well,” helium said.
Outside the erstwhile U.S. Embassy successful Kabul, Afghanistan, a Taliban defender expressed his disappointment successful Trump’s decision.
“America has nary close to bash this and instrumentality this ban,” Ilias Kakal said. “America has to cancel it.”
In Afghanistan’s capital, question agents pointed retired the prohibition would person small applicable effect arsenic Afghan passport holders had been facing problems successful getting U.S. visas anyhow for years.
Since the Taliban took implicit the country successful 2021, lone Afghans with overseas passports oregon greenish cards were capable to question to the United States with immoderate ease, they said, portion adjacent those applying for peculiar visas owed to their enactment with U.S. forces successful Afghanistan successful erstwhile years were facing problems.
During his archetypal term, Trump issued an enforcement order successful January 2017 banning question to the U.S. by citizens of 7 predominantly Muslim countries. It was 1 of the astir chaotic and confusing moments of his young presidency.
The order, often referred to arsenic the “Muslim ban” oregon the “travel ban,” was retooled amid ineligible challenges, until a mentation was upheld by the Supreme Court successful 2018.
Trump and others person defended the archetypal prohibition connected national information grounds, arguing it was aimed astatine protecting the state and not founded connected anti-Muslim bias. However, the president had called for an explicit prohibition connected Muslims during his archetypal run for the White House.
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Amiri reported from the United Nations. Associated Press writers Rebecca Santana, Jon Gambrell, Ellen Knickmeyer, Omar Farouk, Nasser Karimi, Elliot Spagat, Elena Becatoros and Danica Coto contributed to this report.
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