US President Donald Trump has moved to further expand entry bans to the United States, adding nationals from seven more countries to the blacklist, including Syria, as well as Palestinians.
The Republican president signed a proclamation imposing bans or additional restrictions on the entry of foreign nationals “to protect the security of the United States,” according to the text released by the White House.
The newly affected countries are Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali, South Sudan and Syria. In two additional cases, Laos and Sierra Leone, existing partial restrictions have been upgraded to full entry bans.
Palestinians holding travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority are also being targeted under the new measures.
The Trump administration had already imposed a full entry ban on nationals from twelve countries, while citizens of dozens of others are subject to partial restrictions.
In Syria’s case, the measure was announced just days after a deadly attack against US military personnel in the central part of the country.
The administration argues that it has identified countries where security screening is “so deficient that it justifies the full or partial suspension of the admission of their nationals.”
The proclamation includes exemptions for lawful permanent residents of the United States, individuals holding previously issued visas, people belonging to specific categories such as athletes and diplomats, and those whose entry is deemed to “serve the national interests of the United States.”
Recently, the US President launched a harsh attack against Somalis, stating that “we do not want them in our country.”
In June, he announced a ban on the entry into US territory of nationals from twelve countries, mostly in Asia and the Middle East: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
By contrast, Turkmenistan, one of the world’s most isolated countries, was excluded from the ban, with the White House citing “significant progress” in the Central Asian state.