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Bhutan and Afghanistan are on US’ draft red travel ban list, while Pakistan is in the orange category, which means travel would be limited but not banned. The US reported a 37% rise in Bhutanese visa violations in the past year
It should be noted that some of the countries on the red and orange travel ban lists were sanctioned by Donald Trump in his first term. (AP Photo)
The Donald Trump administration has prepared a “red” list of 11 countries whose citizens will would be barred from entering the United States of America. This would be part of a broader travel ban plan that whose restrictions would be part of as many as 43 countries.
US officials cautioned that the list had been developed by the State Department several weeks ago, and is likely to be changed by the time it reaches the White House, as mentioned in a New York Times report.
Trump had issued an executive order when he took office on January 20 that required the State Department to identify countries “for which vetting and screening information is so deficient as to warrant a partial or full suspension on the admission of nationals from those countries.”
He gave the department 60 days to finish a report for the White House with that list, meaning it is due next week.
What Are The Proposed Travel Ban Lists?
The draft lists prepared by diplomatic and security officials have been categories into: Red, Orange and Yellow.
Red: Citizens are from Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen will be barred from entering the United States. News outlet Times had reported this month that Afghanistan, which was not part of Trump’s first-term travel ban, but fell to Taliban after the US forces withdrew from Kabul, is likely to face the ban.
Orange: It includes 10 countries for which travel would be limited but not banned. In those cases, rich businessmen might be allowed to enter, but not people travelling on immigrant visas. Citizens on that list would have to undergo mandatory in-person interviews in order to receive a visa. It included Belarus, Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, Russia, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Turkmenistan.
Yellow: The remaining 22 countries are part of this list, which includes Angola, Liberia, Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe and Vanuatu. These countries would be given 60 days to clear up perceived deficiencies, with the threat of being moved to other categories if they don’t comply. Issues include failing to share with the US information about incoming travellers, purported inadequate security practices for issuing passports, or selling citizenship to people banned from the countries, according to a New York Times report.
Why Bhutan Has Been Banned?
Bhutan, which has been touted as one of the happiest countries in the world, has been banned due to “national security concerns” and “irregular migration patterns”, the US government has cited. According to official sources, there has been an unexpected increase in Bhutanese nationals overstaying their visas or attempting to enter the US through unauthorised channels, as per The Feed.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported a 37% rise in Bhutanese visa violations in the past year, prompting stricter measures.
The travel ban means Bhutanese citizens planning to visit the US will now face increased scrutiny, longer visa processing times, and outright visa denials in some cases. Those seeking student visas and work permits may find it much harder to secure entry. Additionally, Bhutanese nationals currently in the US on temporary visas might face additional checks, making renewals more difficult.
The move is likely to impact the US-Bhutanese relations, which have largely been stable. Bhutan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has officially requested a review of the decision, stating that Bhutanese citizens do not pose a significant security threat to the US.
What Does The Travel Ban Mean For People?
US media reports suggest that it is not clear whether those with existing visas would be exempted from the ban, or if their visas would be cancelled. Nor is it clear whether the government intends to exempt existing green card holders, who are already approved for lawful permanent residency.
The proposal to restrict and not ban visitors from Russia also raises issues. While the Russian government has a reputation for corruption, Trump has been trying to revamp US foreign policy in a more Russia-friendly direction.
The administration had said last week that it had cancelled the green card of a Syrian-born former Columbia University graduate student of Palestinian descent, Mahmoud Khalil, because he led high-profile protests on US campuses against Israel’s role in Gaza that the government perceived as anti-Semitic.
It should be noted that some of the countries on the red and orange travel ban lists were sanctioned by Trump in his first term. But several new ones have been added this time. The earlier lists contained a majority of Muslim countries, or non-white, poor and corrupt countries.
History Of Trump’s Travel Bans
Trump had signed an executive order titled ‘Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States’ a week after entering office in his first term. The order was referred to as “Muslim Travel Ban”, as it largely targeted Muslim-majority nations.
The ban barred entry of Syrian refugees and temporarily suspended the entry of individuals from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
The action triggered chaos at airports and protests. Judges in several states blocked the initial ban soon after it went into place in 2017, claiming that it targeted Muslim countries and discriminated against people for their nationality without justification, violating US immigration law.
The Supreme Court rewrote the notion that allowed banning citizens from Libya, Iran, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen. The ban was upheld in 2018.
When Joe Biden took office in 2021, he repealed the ban, calling it “a stain on our national conscience” and “inconsistent with our long history of welcoming people of all faiths and no faith at all.”
During his campaign, Trump had vowed to reinstate the travel ban if he came to power. In July, at a campaign rally in St. Cloud, Minnesota, Trump told the crowd that he would “restore the travel ban, suspend refugee admissions, stop the resettlement, and keep the terrorists the hell out of our country” and that he would do so on “day one” of his presidency.
