White House Considering 'Dramatic Expansion' of Countries on Travel Ban list
Additions being considered to the 2017 executive order
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An expansion of the travel ban to additional countries is now being considered by the White House, according to six people familiar with the deliberations.
The document, which will coincide with President Donald Trump's January 2017 executive order, has reportedly been circulating the White House.
But the proposed affected countries are blacked out, according to two of the people who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
The 2017 executive order was designed to “protect the American people from terrorist attacks by foreign nationals” allowed into the country.
The order said:
“In order to protect Americans, the United States must ensure that those admitted to this country do not bear hostile attitudes toward it and its founding principles."
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“The United States cannot, and should not, admit those who do not support the Constitution, or those who would place violent ideologies over American law.”
But it is unclear how many countries would be affected by the expansion, but two of the people said seven countries would be added to the list.
The most recent iteration of the ban includes the following majority-Muslim nations.
- Libya
- Somalia
- Yemen
- Venezuela
- North Korea
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— Neon Nettle (@NeonNettle) January 11, 2020
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#PS752 #IranPlaneCrash
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The expansion could focus on several countries that were included when Trump announced the first ban, according to a different person.
The White House did not immediately respond to questions regarding the expansion.
In April last year, almost 100 Democratic lawmakers introduced legislation on to stop Trump's ban on travel to the United States by people from countries connected to terrorism.
"Thousands of American citizens have been forced to live apart from their spouses; their lives put on hold. Thousands of children will not get to spend time with their grandparents," Senator Chris Coons said at the time.
"Thousands of people have been denied the opportunity to either grieve the passing of a loved one or to celebrate a marriage or a birth."
