Nigeria is among 36 countries that could face new travel restrictions to the United States under a proposed expansion of the Trump administration’s travel ban, according to a State Department memo reported by The Washington Post.
The extensive list includes 25 African nations, several Caribbean countries, Central Asian states, and Pacific Island nations. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country with over 200 million people, is the largest population that could be affected by the proposed restrictions.
The memo, signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and sent Saturday to US diplomats working with the affected countries, gives the listed governments 60 days to meet new benchmarks established by the State Department. Countries must provide initial action plans by 8 am on Wednesday, showing how they will address the requirements.
The document outlines various issues the administration believes these countries need to address. Some nations are described as having “no competent or cooperative central government authority to produce reliable identity documents or other civil documents,” whilst others allegedly suffer from “widespread government fraud.” Additionally, the memo cites high numbers of visa overstays by citizens from certain countries.
Furthermore, other factors mentioned include the availability of citizenship through investment programmes without residency requirements, and claims of “antisemitic and anti-American activity in the United States” by people from those countries. However, the memo states that countries willing to accept third-country nationals removed from the US or enter “safe third country” agreements could mitigate other concerns.
The timing for implementing potential restrictions remains unclear if countries do not meet the demands.
The 36 countries under review are: Angola; Antigua and Barbuda; Benin; Bhutan; Burkina Faso; Cabo Verde; Cambodia; Cameroon; Democratic Republic of Congo; Djibouti; Dominica; Ethiopia; Egypt; Gabon; Gambia; Ghana; Ivory Coast; 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; and Zimbabwe.
This proposal would significantly expand restrictions already implemented on 4th June, which fully restricted entry from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. In addition to these complete bans, the US also partially restricted travellers from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela under that order.
