President Donald Trump has identified the foreign governments which have failed to provide “baseline” identification about their citizens who ask for visas to travel to the United States.
The announcement clears the way for customs officials to deny visas to citizens of the countries, which are Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen. In addition, citizens of Iraq and Somalia who request visas will also face extra scrutiny because of the religious and civil wars under in those two countries, says the new policy.
“Following an extensive review by the Department of Homeland Security, we are taking action today to protect the safety and security of the American people by establishing a minimum security baseline for entry into the United States,” Trump said in a statement. He continued:
We cannot afford to continue the failed policies of the past, which present an unacceptable danger to our country. My highest obligation is to ensure the safety and security of the American people, and in issuing this new travel order, I am fulfilling that sacred obligation.
The new policy will likely be described as a “Muslim Ban” by Islamic advocacy groups in the United States because seven of the nine countries in the announcement are predominantly Islamic. However, according to the Trump statement, all other countries — including roughly 60 countries with either partial or majority Muslim populations — complied with the new baseline requirements to share information about their citizens who request visas to visit the United States.
The policy will apply to foreign citizens who are seeking to visit the United States for business or tourism and will also cover people applying for visas as would-be refugees or immigrants.
To frustrate activist judges, the policy does not apply to visitors who got vises prior to September 24. Officials also released a detailed description of the new rules, which included a legal justification of the president’s policy to set entry rules. The legal explanation is needed because left-wing judges are trying to create new rules to allow foreigners into the nation despite opposition from the President and the federal government.
According to the statement:
The United States Government shared the new [“baseline”] requirements with foreign governments in July. They were warned that failure to comply would have consequences and were given 50 days to work with the United States to make improvements. In response, a number of nations that were not in compliance took action by, for example, increasing their information sharing with the United States regarding terrorism threats, enhancing travel document security, or improving their reporting of lost and stolen passports. Some countries, however, are not yet in compliance with the new
Some countries, however, are not yet in compliance with the new baseline, or have remained willfully non-compliant. Accordingly, the Secretary of Homeland Security has recommended, and the President has approved, tailored travel restrictions to keep our country safe and encourage countries to meet our baseline requirements. These restrictions will help prevent potential terrorists and criminals from reaching our shores. These visa restrictions will also put pressure on foreign governments to live up to their obligations by enhancing security and sharing essential information with the United States.
Countries that do not adequately adhere to the new requirements include Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen. The President has also determined that while Iraq did not meet the baseline, entry restrictions are not warranted under the September 24 proclamation. The Secretary of Homeland Security recommends, however, that nationals of Iraq who are traveling to the United States be subject to additional scrutiny. Additionally, the President and the Secretary of Homeland Security determined that while Somalia generally satisfies the minimum information-sharing requirements, it presents special circumstances that warrant specific restrictions and security enhancements to protect the American people.
The restrictions being imposed on these eight countries are conditional and may be lifted as they work with the United States Government to ensure the safety of Americans. We look forward to all countries meeting the new requirements for cooperation with the United States as we continue to take steps necessary to protect our national security.
The legal explanation can be found here.
For example, the documents say about Venezuela:
Venezuela – The government in Venezuela is uncooperative in verifying whether its citizens pose national security or public-safety threats; fails to share public-safety and terrorism-related information adequately, and has been assessed to be not fully cooperative with respect to receiving its nationals subject to final orders of removal from the United States. Accordingly, the entry into the United States of certain Venezuelan government officials and their immediate family members as nonimmigrants on business (B-1), tourist (B-2), and business/tourist (B-1/B-2) visas is suspended.
More details are found here.