Washington - US President Donald Trump is issuing a directive
to restrict immigration from six additional countries, citing
security concerns, administration officials said on Friday.
The six nations are: Nigeria, Myanmar, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Sudan and
Tanzania. The countries will face tailored restrictions, the official
said. The new rules come into effect on February 22.
The new rules stop short of a blanket travel ban and will still allow
certain visits to the US, notably those for non-immigration purposes,
which raised questions about how the administration was defining
security concerns.
The restrictions are largely focused on immigration visas that can
lead to the ability to settle permanently in the US, and not on
visits for familiar purposes or for business, in most cases.
The rules are being imposed ahead of elections later this year and
come three years after Trump slapped a travel ban on several
Muslim-majority nations, sparking an uproar. The ban, which was
modified, was later upheld by a court ruling.
The problems facing the latest six countries to be hit with
restrictions largely stem from deficiencies in sharing intelligence
with the US and Interpol, in addition to technological issues
pertaining to passports and databases, the officials said.
Officials said the nations could make moves to improve their status.
One country that nearly ended up on the list was able to improve its
systems in advance of the new directive and sidestep the
restrictions, the officials said.
Trump has made restricting immigration, particularly from Muslim and
poorer countries, a cornerstone of his policy as president. When he
launched his campaign for the White House in 2015, Trump called for a
shutdown of all Muslim migration to the US.
The president is expected to formally sign and issue the new
directive as early as Friday.