What to cognize astir Trump's caller question prohibition
Johannesburg — On astir mornings, dozens of radical enactment up and hold for appointments extracurricular the U.S. Consulate successful Johannesburg, South Africa, galore seeking applications for visas to question to the U.S. It tin instrumentality up to 5 oregon six months conscionable to get 1 of the appointments.
On Thursday, a chilly wintertime greeting successful South Africa, CBS News recovered hopeful travelers successful the enactment disquieted astir what could hap if they bash marque it to an accomplishment gross astatine a U.S. airport, oregon during their visits.
President Trump's announcement connected Wednesday of a looming question ban connected each citizens from 12 nations successful Africa and the Middle East didn't adjacent see South Africa, contempt the American leader's tetchy relations with the country. But the anxiousness caused by the instrumentality of broad question restrictions — thing Mr. Trump did during his archetypal term, excessively — was astir palpable successful Johannesburg.
One idiosyncratic successful the enactment said they were readying to question for a enactment conference, but they wondered whether it was a bully idea.
Another, tentatively readying to question for non-essential reasons, disquieted that, with the past sanction Assad, it mightiness beryllium amended to skip the planned travel entirely.
"Do I tally the hazard of being rounded up and sent to different country, oregon adjacent jail?" they asked. "The hazard is simply excessively high."
No 1 successful the enactment would springiness CBS News their afloat sanction — retired of fear, astir said, of immoderate nationalist remark perchance bringing a denial of their visa request.
What African countries are facing Trump's question ban, and why?
Nationals of 7 African countries are facing a prohibition connected question to the U.S. from June 9, per Mr. Trump's announcement: Chad, Somalia, Sudan, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea and Libya.
Three of those countries — Sudan, Somalia and Libya — were among the countries enactment nether a travel prohibition during Mr. Trump's archetypal term successful January 2017, though the restrictions connected Sudan were aboriginal dropped, and those against Somalia and Libya were eased.
Many of the 12 countries connected the caller database person been wracked by repressive regimes and plagued by conflict.
"We don't privation them," President Trump said arsenic helium announced the prohibition connected Wednesday, which helium said was needed "to support Americans from unsafe actors."
He cited risks ranging from coercion to radical overstaying their visas, and stressed that the U.S. "cannot person unfastened migration from immoderate state wherever we cannot safely and reliably vet and surface those who question to enter."
Somalia was cited by the president arsenic being a "terrorist harmless haven," portion Libya, helium said, had a "historical violent presence."
"The caller terror onslaught successful Boulder, Colorado, has underscored the utmost dangers posed to our state by the introduction of overseas nationals who are not decently vetted, arsenic good arsenic those who travel present arsenic impermanent visitors and overstay their visas," Mr. Trump said.
Critics noted that the antheral charged successful that attack, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, is an Egyptian national, and Egypt is not included connected the question prohibition database announced by Mr. Trump connected Wednesday.
Somalia instantly responded to the American leader's proclamation, with the country's Ambassador to the U.S., Dahir Hassan Abdi, saying successful a connection that, "Somalia values its longstanding narration with the United States and stands acceptable to prosecute successful dialog to code the concerns raised."
Mr. Trump said successful his remarks that "the United States indispensable beryllium vigilant during the visa-issuance process."
The Africa Union issued a statement Thursday asking the U.S. to follow a much "consultative approach" with the countries named by Mr. Trump, adding that it was acrophobic astir the "potential antagonistic interaction connected people-to-people ties, acquisition exchange, commercialized engagement, and the broader diplomatic relations that person been cautiously nurtured implicit decades."
It has agelong been hard and laborious for radical from galore African nations to get a visa to question to the U.S.
Mr. Trump's announcement came, however, conscionable days aft a 2nd radical of South African Afrikaner "refugees" near connected commercialized flights bound for the U.S. nether a programme announced by the White House successful February, which fast-tracks resettlement of the achromatic South Africans adjacent arsenic the medication works to suspend different exile programs.
President Trump has repeated false claims that a achromatic genocide taking place successful South Africa, claiming Afrikaner farmers are the victims of systemic, racially motivated violence.
In January, South Africa adopted a onshore expropriation measure that allows the authorities to instrumentality ownership of onshore to code radical disparities successful ownership. To date, nary onshore has been expropriated without compensation successful South Africa, contempt claims by right-wing activists successful the state — and immoderate salient supporters extracurricular South Africa, including Elon Musk — to the contrary.
Soon aft the measure was passed, successful a briefing with journalists, Mr. Trump accused the authorities of South Africa of "doing immoderate terrible, horrible things," and helium said successful a societal media station that helium would be, "cutting disconnected each aboriginal backing to South Africa until a afloat probe of this concern has been completed!"
As relations betwixt the 2 countries deteriorated, President Cyril Ramaphosa traveled to Washington precocious past period with a raft of caller measures to effort to mend ties. But President Trump ambushed him successful the Oval Office, with quality cameras rolling, with a video helium claimed arsenic impervious of the alleged achromatic genocide.
President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa speaks with President Trump during a gathering successful the Oval Office of the White House, May 21, 2025, successful Washington, D.C.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty
The video included clips of arguable South African absorption fig Julius Malema singing a opus that became fashionable during the anti-apartheid struggle, called "Kill the Boer," which means Afrikaner.
Ramaphosa watched the video and past pointed retired to Mr. Trump that the views voiced successful it were not authorities policy, earlier conceding that South Africa undeniably has a convulsive transgression occupation — but that lone a tiny fig of achromatic farmers had been targeted.
Ramaphosa's 2 hr gathering with President Trump was mostly seen arsenic productive from the South African constituent of view. Ramaphosa had hoped to permission the White House with an assurance from Mr. Trump that helium would be the G20 acme successful South Africa successful November. He didn't get that, but the U.S. person said helium was considering it.
The U.S. Embassy successful South Africa aboriginal issued a statement updating administration's policy, saying that to suffice for U.S. resettlement, applicants "must beryllium of Afrikaner ethnicity oregon a subordinate of a radical number successful South Africa and indispensable beryllium capable to articulate a past acquisition of persecution oregon fearfulness of persecution."
Across Africa, determination was already a consciousness of disorder and sadness implicit the relentless assistance and commercialized cuts brought by the Trump administration, and the question bans person lone exacerbated that feeling.
"Maybe Americans conscionable don't similar america anymore," suggested 1 pistillate successful the enactment extracurricular the U.S. Consulate connected Thursday.
Sarah Carter is an award-winning CBS News shaper based successful Johannesburg, South Africa. She has been with CBS News since 1997, pursuing freelance enactment for organizations including The New York Times, National Geographic, PBS Frontline and NPR.
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