Former President Donald Trump recently enacted a new travel ban affecting citizens from a number of countries, including Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, and several others. The proclamation also intensifies restrictions on individuals from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, and others who are outside the United States without valid visas. While the new ban does not nullify existing visas, it stipulates that unless applicants fit into specific categories for exemptions, their applications will be declined as of the forthcoming Monday. Those with valid visas issued prior to the ban should still be permitted to enter the country.
During Trump’s first term, a similar executive order induced widespread chaos at airports across the nation, which led to legal challenges and alterations to the policy. Interestingly, no immediate disruptions were observed at Los Angeles International Airport following the announcement of the current ban.
Elvanise Louis-Juste, a Haitian-American present at Newark Liberty International Airport, expressed her concern for her family in Haiti amid the rising violence, indicating that many wish to come to the US to escape such turmoil. She labelled the travel ban as distressing.
Experts note that the new restrictions appear more cautiously designed to withstand potential legal scrutiny by focusing on the visa application process, rather than outright bans. Trump has articulated that some countries lack adequate screening processes or have historically refused to accept their citizens back, pulling extensively from a report by the Department of Homeland Security that tracks individuals who overstay their visas.
The previous difficulties in accurately measuring visa overstay rates present a longstanding challenge for authorities, but Trump has cited figures from eight of the twelve banned nations. He also linked the new restrictions to a recent terrorist attack in Boulder, Colorado, indicating that the individual charged had overstayed his tourist visa, despite being from Egypt, which is not included in the travel ban list.
The announcement drew swift criticism from humanitarian organisations working with refugees. Oxfam America’s president condemned the ban, asserting it was less about national security and more about fostering division against communities that seek a safer life in the US.
Notably, the inclusion of Afghanistan in the travel ban has provoked concern among advocates who have been striving to assist its resettlement. Nevertheless, provisions exist that allow certain Afghan nationals, particularly those on Special Immigrant Visas for cooperating with the US government during military engagements, to bypass the restrictions. Over the prior year, Afghanistan contributed a significant number of refugee arrivals, but Trump’s administration had suspended refugee resettlement on his first day in office.