President Donald Trump issued a proclamation on Wednesday that reinstates travel restrictions affecting nationals from 19 countries, reviving a controversial policy from his first term. The directive, effective Monday, bans entry for nationals from 12 countries: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Additionally, it imposes partial bans and visa restrictions on seven others: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
During his previous administration, Trump implemented similar restrictions targeting many of the same nations, including Iran, Libya, and Venezuela. Data from the State Department indicates that about 139,000 visas were issued to visitors from these countries in the 2023 fiscal year, with Venezuela receiving the highest number. Business and tourism visas were the most commonly issued.
The proclamation cites security and terrorism concerns as justification for these restrictions, claiming that visitors from some of the listed nations tend to overstay their visa expirations. However, data from the Department of Homeland Security reveals that while certain countries had higher overstay rates, the actual numbers were relatively low. For example, Eritrea recorded the second-highest overstay rate, but the total number of overstayers was just over 200, a fraction of those from countries like Mexico, India, or Brazil.
Overall, this move has reignited debates about immigration policy and national security, as critics argue that the restrictions disproportionately target specific countries and fail to meaningfully address the underlying issues.
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