The Trump administration has unveiled new travel restrictions on certain foreigners from Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen as a replacement to a central portion of its controversial travel ban signed earlier this year. The new restrictions on travel vary by country and include a phased-in approach beginning next month. "Making America Safe is my number one priority. We will not admit those into our country we cannot safely vet," President Donald Trump tweeted just after his administration released the details of the restrictions Sunday night.
In a statement Sunday night, the White House called the new restrictions a "critical step toward establishing an immigration system that protects Americans' safety and security in an era of dangerous terrorism and transnational crime.""We cannot afford to continue the failed policies of the past, which present an unacceptable danger to our country," Trump said in the White House statement. "My highest obligation is to ensure the safety and security of the American people, and in issuing this new travel order, I am fulfilling that sacred obligation."
For the last three months, the administration used an executive order to ban foreign nationals from six Muslim-majority countries from entering the US unless they have a "bona fide" relationship with a person or entity in the country. Those nations included Iran, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Yemen, and Sudan. Individuals with that "bona fide" exception -- such as a foreign grandparent of a US citizen -- can still apply for visas until October 18. After that date, the new restrictions on travel will begin. The revised travel ban effecting those from six-Muslim majority countries officially expired earlier Sunday, and Sudan was removed from the list of affected countries.
The new list of countries notably includes several non-Muslim majority nations, including North Korea and Venezuela. In most instances, travel will be broadly suspended, while in other cases, travelers will have to undergo enhanced screening and vetting requirements. For instance, foreign nationals from North Korea are banned, but a student from Iran will be allowed in, subject to "enhanced screening and vetting requirements," according to the President's new proclamation.
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