US President Donald Trump’s administration is reportedly contemplating extending the travel ban to citizens from an additional 36 countries.
Reuters, citing a memo signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, reported that the department has outlined a dozen concerns about the countries in question and sought corrective action.
“The Department has identified 36 countries of concern that might be recommended for full or partial suspension of entry if they do not meet established benchmarks and requirements within 60 days,” the internal cable sent out over the weekend and seen by Reuters said.
The cable indicated that the state department expressed concerns regarding the absence of a capable or cooperative government in several of the listed countries, which affects the production of reliable identity documents. Additionally, there were also apprehensions regarding the “questionable security” of that country’s passports.
According to the cable, which was first reported by the Washington Post, some countries were not cooperative in facilitating the removal of their nationals from the United States, while nationals of some countries were overstaying their visa.
Last week, Trump administration blocked the entry from 12 countries and limited travel from 7 others to the United States.
The countries blocked included Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
The counties partially restricted included Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
Here’s a list of additional countries that could face a full or a partial ban
- 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
- Kyrgyzstan
- Liberia
- Malawi
- Mauritania
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Senegal
- South Sudan
- Syria
- Tanzania
- Tonga
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- Vanuatu
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
