Miami (AP) – President Donald Trump's new No travel Citizens of dozens of countries enacted relatively mildly on Monday as some travelers with valid visas reported extra scrutiny at US airports before being allowed in attendance.
The ban, which primarily targets countries in Africa and the Middle East, is The tension is rising On top of the president Escalation Campaign of immigration enforcement. But it arrived without any immediate signs Unfolded chaos At airports across the US during Trump's first travel ban in 2017.
Vincenta Aguilar said she was uneasy on Monday as she and her husband, Guatemalan citizens, arrived at Miami International Airport and were exposed to three different interviews by US officials after the couple received the tourist visa they received last week.
“They asked where we work, how many children we have, how much time we can afford to pay for this trip if there was a problem with the law,” said Aguilar, who had been visiting his son for the first time since leaving Guatemala 22 years ago with her husband.
She said they were released about an hour after their flight had landed and greeted their waiting family in Florida with tears of relief. Guatemala has not been flagged due to countries included in the new ban or due to additional travel restrictions.
Trump's new ban should not revoke previously issued visas
Trump's new declaration Signed last week Applies to citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. It also places high restrictions on people in Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela who do not hold valid visas outside the US.
The new ban will not revoke visas issued to people in countries previously listed; Guidance was published on Friday All US diplomatic missions. However, unless the applicant meets the narrow AN criteria Exemption from prohibitionhis or her application will be denied from Monday. Travelers with previously issued visas should still be able to Enter US Even after the ban is in effect.
Narayana Ramie, a Haitian citizen working for her country's government, said she was told to wait after showing her passport and tourist visa at Miami Airport on Monday, after confirming that US officials were allowed to visit their families by phone.
Cuban resident and green card holder Louis Hernandez, who lived in the US for three years, said he has no problem returning to Miami on Monday after visiting his family in Cuba over the weekend.
“They asked me nothing,” Hernandez said. “I only showed you a residency card.”
The ban appears to avoid chaos following Trump's first attempt
During Trump's first term, a hastily written presidential order ordered to refuse entry to citizens of the country, primarily Muslim Created chaos It encourages massive revisions of successful legal challenges and policies at numerous airports and other ports of entry.
Many immigration experts say the new ban is being created more carefully and appears to be designed to beat court challenges that hamper the first challenge by focusing on the visa application process.
Trump now said that some countries have either “sufficient” screenings for passports and other public documents or have historically refused to regain their citizens. He relied widely on the annual Homeland Security Report of those who remained in the United States after their visa expired.
Trump has also concluded a new ban Terrorist attacks in Boulder, Coloradosaid it highlighted the dangers posed by visitors staying on the visa. US officials say the man was charged with the attack I stayed overnight on tourist visas. He is from Egypt and is not on Trump's restricted list.
Critics say it's a division of the travel ban section.
The ban was quickly condemned by groups that helped refugees to help and resettle the country.
“This policy is not about national security, it is about sectors and slander that seek security and opportunity in the United States.
In a statement, Haiti's transitional presidential council said the ban “is likely to indiscriminately affect all Haitians,” and hopes to persuade the US to drop Haiti from its list of banned countries.
In Venezuela, some visa holders changed their US travel plans last week to preempt Trump restrictions. For those without a visa, the new restrictions may not be as important. Since Venezuela and the United States cut diplomatic relations in 2019, Venezuelans have had to travel to nearby South American countries to obtain US visas.
Jose Luis Vegas, a tech worker in Venezuela's capital, Caracas, said his uncle gave up on renewing his expired US visa because it was already difficult before restrictions.
“Paying for the hotel and tickets was very expensive and the schedule took up to a year,” Vegas said.
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Associated Press journalists, Regina Garciacano in Caracas, Venezuela, Danica Coto in San Juan in Puerto Rico, and Evenzanon in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, contributed to the story.
