President Donald Trump issued a proclamation on Wednesday reinstating travel restrictions for nationals from 19 countries, echoing controversial policies from his first term. Starting Monday, the ban affects nationals from 12 countries: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Additionally, partial bans and visa restrictions are imposed on Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
During his previous presidency, Trump had implemented similar travel restrictions targeting some of these countries. Data from the State Department indicates that approximately 139,000 visas were issued to visitors from these 19 nations in the 2023 fiscal year, with Venezuelans receiving the most visas. Predominantly, tourism and business visas were granted.
In justifying this proclamation, Trump cited security and terrorism concerns, specifically mentioning issues with visitors overstaying their visas. However, data from the Department of Homeland Security revealed that while the overstay rates from some of the listed countries were relatively high, the actual numbers of overstayers were low. For instance, Eritrea had the second-highest overstay rate, but only slightly more than 200 individuals overstayed their visas, a small fraction compared to overstayers from larger countries like Mexico, India, or Brazil.
Overall, the proclamation revives a contentious aspect of Trump’s previous immigration policy, emphasizing national security while raising questions about the effectiveness and fairness of such travel bans.
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