Trump expands travel ban – more countries affected

TT

Published 21.44

 

US President Donald Trump during a speech on Monday. Photo: Alex Brandon/AP/TT

The US is expanding the travel ban that has already affected a wide range of countries. Citizens of five more countries and those with passports issued by the Palestinian Authority are now not allowed to enter the US.

In addition to the designated countries – Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria – citizens of 15 other countries will have stricter restrictions on entry, the White House announced.

In a post on social media, the White House writes that the measure is being taken because President Donald Trump wants to “increase the security of the US”.

The US has previously put asylum and visa applications from 19 “high-risk” countries on hold. For those countries, citizens who are already in the US may be affected.

In June, Trump imposed a travel ban on citizens from twelve countries, but the stricter rules in recent weeks are referenced in the shooting near the White House in November, when an Afghan man killed a National Guardsman and injured another.