US demands action from 36 countries to avoid travel ban
WASHINGTON—The Trump administration has given 36 countries, most of them in Africa, a Wednesday deadline to commit to improve vetting of travelers or face a ban on their citizens visiting the United States.
A weekend diplomatic cable sent by the State Department instructs embassies and consulates in the 36 countries to gauge their host countries’ willingness by Wednesday to improve their citizens’ travel documentation and take steps to address the status of their nationals who are in the United States illegally.
60 days
The cable, which was described to The Associated Press, asks the countries to take action to address the US concerns within 60 days or risk being added to the current travel ban, which now includes 12 nations. Of the 36 new countries targeted, 25 are in Africa.
It is the latest step by the Trump administration to crack down on those who overstay their visas and tying US entries from certain countries to potential national security risks.
Trump has said some countries have “deficient” screening and vetting or have historically refused to take back their own citizens.
Some countries condemned the travel restrictions and vowed reciprocal actions, while some resettlement groups say the ban sows division.
Trust the process
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce declined to comment on the specifics in the cable, which was first reported by The Washington Post.
She confirmed that the administration wanted nations to improve their own vetting processes for passport holders, accept their nationals deported from the United States and take other steps to ensure their citizens are not a threat to the US.
“We’re looking at providing a period of time, (where if countries) don’t get to that point where we can trust them and they’ve got to change the system, update it, do whatever they need to do to convince us that we can trust the process and the information they have,” she said.
