Trump expands travel ban to Syrians, Palestinians and others
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President Trump on Tuesday expanded his administration's travel ban with full restrictions against five new countries and people with Palestinian Authority-issued travel documents, as well as partial restrictions on 15 countries.
Why it matters: The move is part of the administration's crackdown on travel and immigration into the U.S.
- Full restrictions remain in place for 12 countries previously identified as "high risk."
Driving the news: The Trump administration instituted full restrictions and entry limitations against Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria, as well as people with travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority.
- Trump expanded restrictions from partial to full against Laos and Sierra Leone.
- He also added partial restrictions and energy limitations on 15 additional countries: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
- The ban was lifted from Turkmenistan on non-immigrant visas but maintained for immigrants.
Context: "Many of the restricted countries suffer from widespread corruption, fraudulent or unreliable civil documents and criminal records, and nonexistent birth-registration systems—systemically preventing accurate vetting," the White House said in an announcement Tuesday.
- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem earlier this month said she recommended expanding the travel ban after the shooting of National Guard members by an Afghan national.
Go deeper: U.S. wants to mandate social media checks for tourists
