Washington (TDI): A new travel ban by President Donald Trump could bar people from Pakistan and Afghanistan from entering the US as soon as next week based on a government review of countries’ security and vetting risks.
Other countries could also be on the list, according to media reports.
The move harkens back to the Republican president’s first term ban on travellers from seven majority-Muslim countries, a policy that went through several iterations before it was upheld by the US Supreme Court in 2018.
Former president Joe Biden, a Democrat who succeeded Trump, repealed the ban in 2021, terming it a stain on US national conscience.
The new ban could affect tens of thousands of Afghans who have been cleared for resettlement in the United States as refugees or on Special Immigrant Visas because they are at risk of Taliban retribution for working for the US during a 20-year war in Afghanistan.
Read More: Trump Plans Saudi Visit for $1tr Investment Deal
Trump issued an executive order on January 20 requiring intensified security vetting of any foreigners seeking admission to the United States to detect national security threats.
That order directed several cabinet members to submit by March 21 a list of nations from which travel should be partly or fully suspended due to their “vetting and screening information is so deficient”.
Afghanistan will be reportedly included in the recommended list of nations for a complete travel ban, while Pakistan also would be recommended for inclusion.
Read More: Trump Hails Pakistan’s Role in IS Terrorist Capture
Trump’s directive is part of an immigration crackdown that he started at the start of his second term.
He previewed his plan in an October 2023 speech, promising to restrict people from the Gaza Strip, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and “anywhere else that threatens our security”.
