US President Donald Trump has extended a travel ban to the United States, prohibiting citizens of five more nations as well as anybody using passports issued by the Palestinian Authority from entering the country.
According to the White House, the limitations will take effect on January 1st next year and are meant “to protect the security of the United States”.
Passport holders of the Palestinian Authority and citizens of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria will be subject to full-entry restrictions.
Additionally, the administration placed partial restrictions on 15 other nations including Nigeria, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, and moved Laos and Sierra Leone, which had previously been subject to partial restrictions, to the full ban list.
Since taking office again in January, Trump has tightened immigration regulations.
He claimed that the increased travel ban was required due to what his government called shortcomings in foreign screening and vetting systems.
High rates of visa overstays, faulty civil records, corruption, terrorist activity and a lack of cooperation in welcoming deported citizens were all mentioned by officials.
The announcement came after the White House cited the arrest of an Afghan national suspected of shooting two National Guard soldiers over Thanksgiving weekend as evidence of its security concerns.
Trump has banned travel for the third time.
He implemented a similar order in 2017 during his first term, which provoked domestic and international protests and legal challenges. The US Supreme Court subsequently affirmed the policy.
According to the White House, the limitations would stay in effect until the impacted nations demonstrate “credible improvements” in identity management, information exchange and collaboration with US immigration officials.
There are some exceptions and the prohibition won’t impact diplomats, athletes traveling to important athletic events, lawful permanent residents or many current visa holders.
In situations where travel is judged to be in the national interest, officials stated that case-by-case waivers would also be offered.