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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Donald Trump's campaign call for all Muslims to be barred from entering the United States has morphed over the past three years into a complex web of travel and immigration restrictions placed, to varying degrees, on 7% of the world's population.

The big picture: While most eyes were on impeachment and Iowa, President Trump recently extended restrictions to six additional countries — widening the ban and ignoring the massive outcry it has created.

Driving the news: The Trump administration recently announced restrictions on permanent immigration for people from Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Eritrea, Nigeria, Sudan and Tanzania.

  • While Myanmar has a relatively small Muslim population (4%), the populations of the other five are between 30% Muslim (Tanzania) and 86% (Kyrgyzstan), according to the Pew Research Center.
  • Unlike previous iterations of Trump's travel ban, the new policy will still allow all short-term travel to the U.S.
  • It could still have detrimental impacts on families and economies — particularly in Nigeria, as the New York Times reported.

Flashback: Trump first announced a travel ban — labeled by many as a "Muslim ban" — in his first week in office.

  • It would have barred entry to refugees and immigrants from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen — all Muslim-majority countries.
  • Mass chaos and large protests followed in airports across the country as refugees and travelers who had just arrived were told to return to their home countries.
  • The ban was temporarily blocked by a federal court, which began a more than year-long struggle between federal judges and the administration.
  • In June 2018, the Supreme Court upheld an amended version of Trump's ban.
  • The final version blocked most immigrants and many travelers from Iran, Libya, Somalia, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen.

It's had a dramatic impact. Between 2017 and 2018, the number of permanent visas given every month to nationals of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen fell by 72%, according to Migration Policy Institute (MPI).

  • Collectively, those countries are more than 92% Muslim.
  • Short-term visas granted to Iranians fell from 1,650 per month in FY 2017 to 501 the following year, according to MPI.

The backstory: Trump reacted to the deadly shooting in San Bernardino, Calif. in December 2015 by promoting false stories about Muslims celebrating on 9/11, mocking Hillary Clinton for refusing to use the term "radical Islamic," and then proposing the Muslim ban.

“Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on.” 
— Trump on Dec. 7, 2015 at a rally in South Carolina
  • Trump's proposal was condemned by rivals in both parties but broadly popular with Republican primary voters. He shifted to a call for "extreme vetting" ahead of the general election.

The bottom line: Trump has not blocked all Muslims from entering America — not even close.

  • But you can draw a straight line from his campaign promise to the immigration policies his administration is now implementing.

Go deeper: The world's Muslims are facing unprecedented repression

Go deeper

Updated 42 mins ago - World

U.S. sending $100M in aid to India as country sets new COVID records

A COVID-19 patient, laying on a rickshaw, receiving oxygen provided by a Gurdwara, a place of worship for Sikhs, along the roadside in Ghaziabad in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India, on Wednesday. Photo: Prakash Singh/AFP via Getty Images

The White House announced the U.S. is sending more than $100 million worth of supplies to India — which set new records for COVID-19 cases and deaths in a single day on Thursday.

Driving the news: Coronavirus cases are surging in India amid a widespread oxygen shortage and slow vaccine rollout. The country's pandemic death toll surpassed 200,000 on Wednesday, amid reports that COVID fatalities and cases are going uncounted.

China launches Tianhe module of new space station

People watch the Long March-5B Y2 rocket carrying the core module of China's space station, Tianhe, blasting off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Wenchang, Hainan Province, on Thursday. Photo: Wang Longhua/VCG via Getty Images

Officials in China launched the core element of a new permanent space station into orbit on a Long March-5B Y2 rocket from Wenchang in Hainan Province, Thursday, per the BBC.

Why it matters: The launch from Wenchang Space Launch Center marks a significant step in the space program drive of the ruling Chinese Communist Party, seen as a rival to the U.S. in space.

Updated 4 hours ago - Politics & Policy

In photos: Biden's historic address to Congress

President Biden arrives ahead of his speech a joint session of Congress as Vice President Kamala Harris (L) and Speaker of the House U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi look on. Photo: Michael Reynolds - POOL/Getty Images

President Biden delivered a historic address before a joint session of Congress on Wednesday — the eve of his 100th day since taking office.

Driving the news: Vice President Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) made history as the first women to lead the Senate and House during a president's congressional address. The event was also notable for having pandemic restrictions in place that included having virtual guests.