Nigeria has omitted a new list of 43 countries, including 22 African countries, targeting visa restrictions under the expansion of US President Donald Trump's immigration policy, in a move to expand similar policies that were in place during his term in the White House.
The draft recommendations developed in January, developed by the US State Department and security authorities, following Trump's directive, each categorized three tier countries, meaning each opportunity to address travel bans, visa restrictions and our concerns.
Like his first term policy, the majority of the countries on the proposed travel ban list are African and Muslim countries. Surprisingly, Nigeria was not on the list despite being one of the seven countries that West African countries targeted during his first tenure.
The decision to exclude Nigeria from a potential travel ban led observers to question why Trump decided not to include the country this time, days after the Congressional Committee exempted him from impose sanctions on Nigeria for Christian prosecutions.
The State Department recommends draft list, which has 11 countries on the top list, designated as the “red list,” and bans from citizens of the category from entering the United States altogether.
Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen are the countries of category.
The following categories are designated as “Orange Lists”. It consists of 10 countries, including Belarus, Russia, Pakistan, Haiti, Sierra Leone, Laos, South Sudan, Myanmar and Turkmenistan, whose proposal recommends sharp visa restrictions for citizens.
The final category is “Yellow List”, and 22 countries are given 60 days to resolve perceived defects.
The countries listed include Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, Gambia, Gambia, Liberia, Liberia, Maria, Mali, Nebritania, Maritania, St. Kit, St. Kit, St. Kit, St. Kit, St. Kit, Maritania Príncipe, Vanuatu, and Zimbabwe.
Meanwhile, this list is not final and could change before it is made public as director of the US embassies and the Regional Bureau of the State Department around the world, with security specialists from other departments and intelligence reporting agencies considering drafts ahead of the final decision.
