The Donald Trump administration is reportedly considering a new travel ban that could impact citizens from up to 43 countries, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Russia, according to The New York Times, citing anonymous officials.
A draft list proposed by security officials classifies countries into three categories—Red, Orange, and Yellow—to regulate travel. Countries placed on the Red List would face a complete ban on entry into the United States.
Pakistan and Russia are part of the Orange List, which includes 10 nations facing restricted travel rather than an outright ban. “Affluent business travelers might be allowed to enter, but immigrant and tourist visa applicants would face restrictions. Citizens on that list would also be subjected to mandatory in-person interviews in order to receive a visa,” The New York Times reported.
Other countries on the Orange List include Myanmar, Belarus, Haiti, Laos, Eritrea, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Turkmenistan.
Meanwhile, the draft places 10 countries, including Afghanistan and Bhutan, on the Red List, meaning their citizens could face a complete visa suspension. Other nations on this list are Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen.
The proposal also includes a Yellow List of 22 countries, which would be given 60 days to address perceived security concerns. Failure to comply could result in movement to the Orange or Red Lists.
According to The New York Times, concerns surrounding these countries include lack of information-sharing about incoming travelers, inadequate passport security measures, or selling citizenships to individuals from banned nations, which could potentially serve as loopholes to bypass the restrictions.
Countries on the Yellow List include Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Vanuatu, and Zimbabwe.
If enacted, this would mark the second time Donald Trump has imposed a travel ban. During his first term, he restricted citizens from seven Muslim-majority nations, a policy that underwent several modifications before being upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018. That ban affected travelers from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen, as reported by Al Jazeera.