The U.S. government is contemplating travel restrictions on citizens from 43 countries. According to The New York Times, U.S. security officials have prepared a draft recommendation categorising these 43 nations into three distinct groups: red, orange, and yellow.
The red category includes 11 countries, whose citizens would face a complete entry ban, while the two other categories involve varying degrees of visa restrictions.
However, the draft list is still subject to change and has not yet been approved by the Trump administration.
The draft memo follows an executive order issued by Trump on 20th January, which mandates stricter security checks for foreigners wishing to enter the U.S. in order to detect any potential threats to national security. The order also requires several Cabinet members to submit a list of countries on 21st March, whose citizens’ travel should either be completely or partially halted.
So, which countries made the list?
Red category
The draft memo lists 11 countries in the red category, whose citizens would be banned from entering the U.S. These countries include:
Afghanistan
Bhutan
Cuba
Iran
Libya
North Korea
Somalia
Sudan
Syria
Venezuela
Yemen
Orange category
The orange list includes 10 countries, whose citizens would face additional restrictions but not a total ban on entering the U.S. Wealthy business travellers may be permitted entry, but individuals travelling with immigrant or tourist visas may not. Citizens from these countries would also be required to undergo mandatory in-person interviews.
Belarus
Eritrea
Haiti
Laos
Myanmar
Pakistan
Russia
Sierra Leone
South Sudan
Turkmenistan
Yellow category
The yellow list includes 22 countries, which have 60 days to address deficiencies or risk being moved to another category. These countries must resolve issues such as failure to share information on travellers coming to the U.S., inadequate security practices in passport issuance, and the sale of citizenship to individuals from banned countries.
Angola
Antigua and Barbuda
Benin
Burkina Faso
Cambodia
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Chad
Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo
Dominica
Equatorial Guinea
Gambia
Liberia
Malawi
Mali
Mauritania
St. Kitts and Nevis
St. Lucia
São Tomé and Príncipe
Vanuatu
Zimbabwe
Trump's executive order in January aimed to reinstate travel bans to protect U.S. citizens from those intending to carry out terrorist attacks or threaten national security. The U.S. Department of State has previously stated that it would follow Trump’s orders, committed to safeguarding the nation and its citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through the visa process.
However, this draft is still under review by the government, particularly by the State Department’s Regional Bureau and Security Specialisation, which means there could be changes in the final decision. It remains unclear whether individuals from the affected countries will be exempt from these restrictions or if their visas will be cancelled.