The ban on citizens of 12 countries from entering the United States, issued by President Donald Trump last week, took effect Sunday night at 04:01 GMT, according to a presidential proclamation.
The ban, which was issued to "protect the United States from foreign terrorists and other threats to national security," according to the presidential proclamation, includes citizens of Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
The US administration, which maintains a very strict immigration policy, justified its inclusion on the ban list by citing the lack of effective agencies in these countries to vet travelers and the tendency of citizens of some of them to remain in the United States after their visas expire.
It also imposed restrictions on citizens of seven other countries from obtaining visas to the United States: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
Trump compared the new travel ban to the "effective restrictions" he imposed during his first term (2017-2021), which included citizens of several countries, most of them Muslim, believing that these restrictions prevented the United States from being subjected to attacks similar to those witnessed in Europe.
Four countries appear on the two lists: Iran, Libya, Sudan, and Yemen.
"We will not allow what happened in Europe to happen in America," Trump said Wednesday.
He added, "We cannot allow open immigration from any country if we cannot safely and reliably screen and vet those who want to enter the United States."
Trump attributed his decision to the attack on a Jewish rally in Colorado, carried out by a man who authorities said entered the country illegally.
Trump said, "The recent terrorist attack in Boulder, Colorado, highlighted the grave risks to our country from foreign nationals entering without proper screening," adding, "We don't want them."
However, neither of the two lists published by the Trump administration includes Egypt, where the 45-year-old man accused of carrying out the Colorado attack is from.
Twelve people were injured in Boulder last week when the man shouted "Free Palestine" and threw Molotov cocktails at protesters participating in a weekly march in support of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip.
Following the decision, numerous international bodies, the targeted countries, and their citizens expressed concerns.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk expressed "concerns from an international legal perspective," saying, "The very broad and comprehensive scope of the new travel ban raises concerns from an international legal perspective, particularly in light of the principle of non-discrimination and the proportionality of measures taken to address the security concerns expressed."
Amnesty International condemned the decree, describing it as "discriminatory, racist, and cruel."
The African Union expressed concern about the ban's repercussions for seven countries on the continent.
"The Commission is concerned about the potential negative impact of this type of measure on people-to-people relations, educational exchanges, trade, and broader diplomatic relations that have been carefully nurtured over decades," he said in a statement.
Chad, one of the African countries targeted by the US decision, announced it would suspend visas to US citizens in response.
"I fully understand the pain caused by Trump's cruel and xenophobic travel bans. My family has been deeply affected by them," Iranian-American congresswoman Yasmin Ansari wrote on Twitter on Sunday. "We will fight this ban with all our might."
These restrictions exempt certain visa holders and individuals whose travel to the United States "serves the national interest."
The ban excludes soccer players participating in the 2026 World Cup, to be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, as well as athletes participating in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
.jpg)
0 Comments