FILE PHOTO: Protesters hold signs against U.S. President Donald Trump's limited travel ban, approved by the U.S. Supreme Court, in New York City, U.S., June 29, 2017. REUTERS/Joe Penney/File Photo
President Donald Trump is eying a sweeping travel ban that would go beyond even that of his first administration, which faced fierce opposition.
During his first term, Trump implemented a significant travel ban via executive order in January 2017, temporarily barring entry to the United States for citizens from seven predominantly Muslim countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. It also indefinitely banned Syrian refugees and suspended the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program for four months, while reducing refugee admissions.
Despite widespread protests and legal challenges — and derision that it was merely a "Muslim ban" — Trump in 2023, vowed to bring back a travel ban "even bigger than before."
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Now, he's reportedly eyeing just that — a second travel ban, this time targeting 43 countries.
Officials familiar with the matter told The New York Times the administration has a list of recommendations for proposed travel bans that classifies countries into one of three colors: red, orange and yellow.
Residents of countries with a red designation would receive a flat travel ban to the United States, according to the report. That list contains 11 countries: Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen.
Countries with an orange tag would see their visas "sharply restricted," though not cut off entirely. People traveling on immigrant or tourist visas would be barred, but business travelers would not, and these citizens would have to face in-person interviews to receive a visa. This includes 10 proposed countries: Belarus, Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, Russia, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Turkmenistan.
The yellow tier includes 22 countries. These countries would be given about two months to address perceived deficiencies, such as failing to share with the United States information about its travelers according to the report. If they do not, they'd be moved to the orange or red tier.
The yellow list includes: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Vanuatu and Zimbabwe.
The officials emphasized to the Times the recommendations are still in draft form and could change.