On Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced a new proclamation that restricts entry into the United States for nationals from 19 countries, reviving policies from his first term. Effective Monday, the directive bans entry for nationals from 12 countries: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Additionally, it imposes partial bans and visa restrictions on Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
During his initial term, Trump introduced similar travel restrictions, targeting many of the same countries, including Iran, Libya, and Venezuela. For the fiscal year 2023, the State Department reported that approximately 139,000 visas were issued to visitors from these 19 nations, with Venezuela receiving the highest number. The majority of issued visas were for tourism and business purposes.
The proclamation cites security and terrorism risks as the primary justification for these restrictions, claiming that nationals from several of the targeted countries often overstayed their visas. However, data from the Department of Homeland Security indicates that while some of these countries had elevated overstay rates, the actual figures were comparatively low. For example, Eritrea had the second-highest overstay rate, but only a little over 200 individuals overstayed their visas, which is minimal compared to overstayers from larger countries like Mexico, India, or Brazil.
This move has stirred controversy as it parallels previous policies and raises questions about the balance between national security and immigration practices.
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