Washington – The Trump administration has given 36 countries. Most of them are in Africa, a deadline Wednesday that promises to face a ban on citizens who commit to improving traveler reviews or visit the US.
The weekend diplomatic cable sent by the State Department will direct embassies and consulates of 36 countries to measure host countries' will by Wednesday, improve citizen travel documents and take steps to address the status of citizens in the United States illegally.
The cable, described by the Associated Press, asks that within 60 days it will take steps to address US concerns or risk adding to the current travel ban, including the current 12 countries. Of the 36 new countries covered, 25 are in Africa.
The latest step from the Trump administration is to continue visas and crack down on those who link our entries from certain countries to potential national security risks. Trump has said that some countries have “sufficient” screenings and screenings, or that he has historically refused to regain his citizenship. Some countries have condemned travel restrictions and vowed to mutual action, while some resettlement groups have said the ban and removal department.
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce declined to comment on the details of the cable, originally reported by the Washington Post. She confirmed that the administration hopes the state will improve its own review process for passport owners, accept citizens deported from the United States, and take other steps to ensure that citizens are not a threat to the United States.
“We are looking to provide a period of time that we don't get to the point where the country has to trust them, change and update the system and do whatever it takes to convince us that we can trust the process and the information they have,” she said.
Although they are committed to making improvements and are working to address them, it was not immediately clear whether a ban would be imposed on countries that could not meet the benchmark within 60 days.
The list includes some countries that were traditional US partners, including Egypt and Djibouti, both have military ties with the US, and have long been friendly with the US, including Liberia, Nigeria and Ethiopia. Like Congo, Syria, which was removed from the initial travel ban, is both on the new list.
South Sudan has already been subject to another travel ban imposed by the State Department, and has already revoked most South Sudan visas in the US
President Donald Trump enacted a travel ban in 12 countries this month and imposed restrictions on seven other countries, but previously issued visas have not been revoked. His declaration instead banned the issuance of new visas to citizens of 12 countries.
The ban included Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. The enhanced visa restrictions apply to citizens of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
The 36 countries identified in the new cable are Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Ethiopia, Ethiopia, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Ivory, Currigista Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tonga, Tubal, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
