Donald Trump Administration Weighs Travel Ban on 43 Nations Including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Pakistan

United States President Donald Trump's administration is mulling over imposing a sweeping travel ban to block or restrict entry into America for citizens from as many as 43 countries, including Russia, Iran, North Korea, Mali, Laos, etc.

The proposed list of countries at risk of the US travel ban was first published by the New York Times. As per the report, four of India's neighbouring countries, ie, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Myanmar, and even Bhutan, are also mentioned on the list.

Red list of 11 countries

The proposal is still under consideration and may witness some revision before it gets White House approval, the NYT added in its report. At the heart of this proposed draft lies a 'Red list' of 11 countries whose citizens will be completely banned from entering the United States. The red list, as per NYT, includes Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen.

Countries listed on Orange list

The draft has further trifurcated its list and mentioned other targeted countries under the orange and Yellow lists. Countries listed in the orange list will get some relaxation on the travel ban but may face stringent restrictions on visa movements. As per the draft proposal, business travelers and leaders from these nations may get some relaxations, but travelling on tourist visas won't be allowed.

The Orange list mentions a total of ten countries, including Belarus, Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, Russia, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Turkmenistan. Inclusion of Russia on the list has come as a surprise amid Donald Trump's strong stance against Ukraine in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

Yellow list

United States will take a milder approach towards the countries listed on the 'yellow list' as they will have nearly two months to address the perceived security deficiencies to avoid action by Trump administration. The list includes Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Liberia, and nine other countries.
So far, there has been no official response by the Donald Trump administration related to the long list of countries at risk of facingthe US travel ban.

Why are these 43 countries facing the risk of the US travel ban?

No specific reason was mentioned on the draft to establish the ground on which these countries were facing the US travel ban. However, most of the countries mentioned in the list were generally Muslim-majority, or otherwise nonwhite, poor or have governments considered weak or corrupt, as per NYT report. Implementation of the travel ban will hugely impact citizens of these countries who are currently in US for different purpose including studies, employment, etc. It is also unclear whether the citizens of these countries with green card will lose their privilege or face restriction after imposition.

US travel ban during Trump's previous presidency

The proposed travel ban revives the memories of Donald Trump's travel ban policy implemented during his first presidency, which mostly targeted Muslim dominated nations. The travel ban led to legal battles and protests across the US. Its initial versions were even blocked by US courts. US travel ban, imposed by Donald Trump, were later reversed by former US president Joe Biden, who revoked Trump's order describing it as discriminatory and inconsistent with American values.