By Humeyra Pamuk
Washington (Reuters) -S -President Donald Trump's government is considering considerably expanding his travel restrictions by possibly forbidding citizens of 36 extra countries to enter the United States, according to an internal cable from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs seen by Reuters.
Earlier this month, the Republican President signed a proclamation that forbade the access of citizens from 12 countries, and said that the move was needed to protect the United States against “foreign terrorists” and other threats of national security.
The guideline was part of an immigration set Trump that was launched this year at the start of his second term, which included the deportation to El Salvador of hundreds of Venezolans who were suspected of being gang members, as well as efforts to refuse registrations of some foreign students from American universities and to deport others.
In an internal diplomatic cable signed by the US State Secretary Marco Rubio, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs outlined a dozen concern about the countries concerned and sought corrective measures.
“The Department has identified 36 countries of concern that can be recommended for full or partial suspension of entry if they do not meet established benchmarks and requirements within 60 days,” said the cable sent during the weekend.
The cable was first reported by the Washington Post.
One of the concerns that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs brought was the lack of a competent or cooperative government by some of the countries mentioned to produce reliable identity documents, the cable said. Another was “questionable security” of the passport of that country.
Some countries, the cable said, were not cooperative when facilitating the removal of its subjects from the United States that were ordered to be removed. Some countries crossed the American visas that their citizens got.
Other reasons for concern were that the nationals of the country were involved in terrorist acts in the United States, or anti-Semitic and Anti-American activity.
The cable noted that not all these concerns related to every country mentioned.
“We are constantly evaluating policy to guarantee the safety of Americans and that strange subjects follow our laws,” said a senior official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who refused to comment on specific internal deliberations and communication.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is dedicated to protect our nation and its citizens by maintaining the highest standards of national security and public security through our visa process,” the official said.
The countries that could face a full or a partial ban if they do not address these concerns within the next 60 days are: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cote D'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Ethiopia, Egypt, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Kirgizië, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Saint Kitts en Nevis, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome en Principe, Senegal, Zuid -Sudan, Syrië, Tanzania, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
That would be an important expansion of the prohibition that came into effect earlier this month. The affected countries were Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo Republic, Equatorial -Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Jemen.
The access of people from seven other countries – Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela – is also partially limited.
During his first position, Trump announced a ban on travelers from seven Muslim majority countries, a policy that went through different iterations before it was maintained by the Supreme Court in 2018.
(Reporting by Humeyra Pamukedding by Bill Berkrot)
