The Trump administration is weighing a travel ban expansion to include 36 additional countries, according to a report in the Washington Post.
The Post reported that according to a State Department memo it reviewed, the expanded ban would impact 25 African nations and countries in the Caribbean, Central Asia and several Pacific island nations.
The possible expansion comes after the Trump administration banned the entry of citizens from a dozen countries earlier this month and curtailed travel from seven others.
The memo said the governments of these countries had 60 days to meet
new benchmarks and requirements established by the State Department, the
Post reported. The countries have until 8 a.m. on June 18 to provide an
initial action plan to meet the State Department's requirements,
according to the outlet.
According to the Post, the expanded list includes Angola; Antigua and Barbuda; Benin; Bhutan; Burkina Faso; Cabo Verde; Cambodia; Cameroon; Democratic Republic of Congo; Djibouti; Dominica; Ethiopia; Egypt; Gabon; Gambia; Ghana; the Ivory Coast; Kyrgyzstan; Liberia; Malawi; Mauritania; Niger; Nigeria; St. Kitts and Nevis; St. Lucia; Sao Tome and Principe; Senegal; South Sudan; Syria; Tanzanial; Tonga; Tuvalu; Uganda; Vanuatu; Zambia; and Zimbabwe.
Reasons behind the added bans
According to the Post, the memo listed the reasons for the expanded ban to include these countries as some of the countries having "no competent or cooperative central government authority to produce reliable identity documents or other civil documents," or suffering from "widespread government fraud," or having a large number of citizens who overstayed their visas in the U.S or "antisemitic and anti-American activity in the United States" by citizens of those countries.
The Trump administration's initial ban applies to citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, although there are some exceptions for people with dual citizenship or legal residency in the U.S., some athletes, some refugees and some people who have worked for the U.S. government.
It also restricts entry for travelers from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela who do not hold a valid visa.
What does the travel industry say?
The expanded travel ban has not yet been made official. But on June 16, U.S. Tour Operators Association president Terry Dale said that his organization had concerns about the broader effects of a ban.
"Even if the proposed expansion of the travel ban doesn't directly affect the U.S.'s higher inbound markets, the broader impact on global perception is real," Dale said. "Travelers want to feel welcomed, and when policies suggest otherwise, even indirectly, it can make people think twice about coming. With global events like the World Cup around the corner, visitors are asking: Am I going to be welcomed? Will I face delays at the border? Left with that kind of uncertainty, they may decide to opt out."
He also said the ban could impact the USTOA's annual conference in December. "Our members attend the conference from countries all around the globe, including some that could be affected by this proposal," he said.
This report was updated to include comments from the USTOA.