Southeast Asia Information Port (www.dnyxxg.com) reports, citing the White House website and NBC News, that on December 16th local time, US President Trump signed a proclamation further restricting the entry of foreign citizens.
The report states that the US is imposing comprehensive entry restrictions on individuals from five countries: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria, as well as those holding travel documents issued by the Palestinian National Authority.
In addition, 15 other countries are included in the partial entry restriction list: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Ivory Coast, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The report states that the Trump administration, in announcing the expansion of the travel ban, stated that many of the restricted countries have issues such as "unreliable citizen documents and unclear criminal records," making it difficult to verify the travel of citizens from these countries to the US.
The White House announced these changes in a statement, which read: "The restrictions and constraints imposed are necessary to prevent the entry of foreign nationals into the United States for whom the U.S. lacks sufficient information to assess their potential risks, while also encouraging foreign governments to cooperate with the United States in enforcing U.S. immigration laws and advancing other important foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism objectives."
The report noted that this move is part of the U.S.'s ongoing tightening of travel and immigration standards. Earlier, an Afghan suspect was arrested on suspicion of shooting two U.S. National Guard soldiers.
