President Trump is planning a new travel ban that might block people from Afghanistan and Pakistan from entering the United States as early as next week.
A Reuters report cited three anonymous sources saying other countries might also be on the ban list, but they didn’t know which ones.
This new policy is similar to Trump’s first-term ban on travellers from seven mostly Muslim countries. That ban went through several changes before the Supreme Court approved it in 2018.
Former President Biden cancelled that ban in 2021, calling it “a stain on our national conscience.”
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The new ban could affect tens of thousands of Afghans who have already been cleared to move to the U.S. as refugees or with Special Immigrant Visas. These people risk Taliban punishment because they worked with the U.S. during the 20-year war in Afghanistan.
Trump signed an executive order on January 20 requiring stronger security checks for foreigners wanting to enter the U.S. to identify potential security threats.
This order directed several cabinet members to submit by March 12 a list of countries from which travel should be restricted because their “vetting and screening information is so deficient.”
According to the three sources and one other person who also asked not to be identified, Afghanistan will be on the recommended list for a complete travel ban. The three sources said Pakistan would also be included.
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