According to officials familiar with the matter, the Trump administration is considering citizens of up to 43 countries as part of a new ban on U.S. travel, which will be broader than the restrictions imposed by President Trump during his first term.
A draft recommendation from diplomatic and security officials suggests that the “red” list of 11 countries will be banned from entering the United States. Officials said they are Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen.
Officials, who discussed the sensitive internal review status on anonymity, warned that the list was developed by the State Department a few weeks ago and that possible changes are likely to happen.
Officials from the State Council embassy and regional bureaus, as well as security experts from other departments and intelligence agencies, have been reviewing the draft. They are providing comments on whether the description of the defects of a particular country is accurate, or whether there are policy reasons (such as not risking collaborating on certain other priorities) to reconsider including some people.
The draft proposal also includes a “orange” list of 10 countries, where travel will be restricted but will not be cut off. In this case, wealthy business travelers may be allowed to enter but are not allowed to travel with an immigration or a tourist visa.
Citizens on this list will also be subject to a mandatory interview to obtain a visa. It includes Belarus, Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, Russia, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Turkmenistan.
When he took office on January 20, Mr. Trump issued an executive order requiring the State Department to determine that “the review and screening information is so insufficient that it is guaranteed partial or complete suspension when accepting nationals of these countries.”
He gave the department 60 days to complete the White House report, which means next week will be next week. The State Council’s Consular Affairs Bureau has led the order, which stated that the directors of the Ministry of Justice and Homeland Security and the National Intelligence Agency will assist in the efforts.
Spokespersons at several agencies declined to comment or did not respond to requests for comment. But the State Department has previously said it is following Mr. Trump’s orders and is “committed to protecting our country and its citizens through our visa process” while refusing to discuss internal deliberations in particular.
The Times and other news outlets reported this month that Afghanistan was not part of Mr. Trump’s first travel ban, but fell into the Taliban when the U.S. withdraws troops in 2021, and he is likely to be part of the second ban. But other countries under consideration are not clear.
It is not clear whether people with existing visas will be exempted from the ban or whether their visas will be cancelled. Whether the government intends to exempt existing green card holders who have approved legal permanent residence.
The Trump administration said last week that it had cancelled the green card of former Columbia former graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, who led a high-profile campus protest against Israel on cheering for the government, which the administration believes is the opposition, the opposition, the opposition, and the court against the move.
Mr. Trump approved some countries in the draft list of red and orange in his first travel ban, but many are new. Some share characteristics with early lists – they are usually Muslim majority, or other non-white, poor, and have governments considered weak or corrupt.
However, the reasons for several other people are not yet known. For example, Bhutan is proposed to be absolutely banned from entry. This small Buddhist and Hindu nation is sandwiched between China and India and is not on any draft list.
The proposal to strictly restrict visitors (if not completely prohibited) in Russia raises a different question. Although the Russian government is known for its corruption, Mr. Trump has been trying to reposition U.S. foreign policy in a more Russian-friendly direction.
A decision that includes Venezuela could also undermine the melting of rebirth in relations, which is useful for Mr. Trump’s separate efforts to deport undocumented immigrants.
The proposal also includes draft “yellow” lists for 22 countries that will have 60 days to clear the perceived defects and will be moved to one of the other lists if not followed.
Such issues could include information sharing in the United States regarding incoming travelers, allegedly inadequate security practices in issuing passports, or the sale of citizenship to people in banned countries, which could be a loophole surrounding these restrictions.
That list, the officials said, included Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Vanuatu and Zimbabwe.
During Mr. Trump's first term, the court blocked the government from enforcing the first two versions of his travel ban, but the Supreme Court eventually allowed the rewrite of the ban – eight countries that ban citizens, six of which were primarily Muslims – to take effect. The list evolved later.
Shortly after Joseph R. Biden Jr. became president in January 2021, he issued a declaration revoking Mr. Trump’s travel ban, calling them “a stain on our national conscience” and “inconsistent with our long history of welcoming us to those of all faiths.”
Mr. Trump's executive order said in January that he would restore the ban to protect U.S. citizens “from foreigners who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten our national security, embrace hatred ideology or otherwise exploit immigration laws for malicious purposes.”
Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Ed King Contributed reports from Washington.
