
News Topical, Digital Desk : A ban on travel to the United States by citizens of 12 countries took effect Monday, amid tensions fueled by President Donald Trump's growing crackdown on people living illegally.
The new declaration signed by Trump on Wednesday applies to citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
Banned despite valid visa
The order also imposes strict restrictions on people from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela who do not have valid visas. This new ban list does not cancel the visas already issued to people from these countries. They can enter the US on previously issued visas.
Many immigration experts say the new ban is designed to overcome any court challenge by focusing on the visa application process.
It appears more carefully crafted than a hastily written executive order during Trump’s first term that denied entry to citizens of predominantly Muslim countries.
In a video posted Wednesday, Trump said citizens of the countries included in the ban pose terrorism-related and public-safety risks, as well as the risk of overstaying their visas.
Read More: 'No desire to improve relations with Musk', Trump openly threatens Tesla CEO
--Advertisement--