The Trump administration announced new travel restrictions for citizens from six countries: Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sudan and Tanzania.
The expanded travel ban goes into effect Feb. 22.
Currently, the administration's travel ban affects nearly all the citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen and Somalia. Some government officials from North Korea and Venezuela also face visa restrictions. The restrictions for those countries will remain in place.
We've rounded up resources and articles from SHRM Online and other trusted outlets on the news.
Visa Restrictions Are Limited
The expansion of President Donald Trump's controversial travel ban first introduced three years ago will suspend the issuance of visas that can lead to green cards for nationals of Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar and Nigeria. In addition, the U.S. government will stop issuing diversity visas to nationals of Sudan and Tanzania. The new restrictions are limited to visas for permanent residency and do not include visas for tourists, business travelers or guest workers.
(Reuters)
Travel Ban Hits Africa
Travel restrictions already affect more than 135 million people in seven countries. The effect on Nigeria, Africa's most populous country and also its largest economy, could be particularly severe. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the administration was adding Nigeria and Tanzania to the list because of the number of people who come from those two countries who end up illegally staying in the United States. Sudan and Eritrea were added because they have not satisfied the administration's information-sharing requirements.
(The New York Times)
Failing to Meet Criteria
The DHS said the six countries failed to meet U.S. security and information-sharing standards, with problems cited ranging from poor passport technology to a failure to sufficiently exchange information on terrorism suspects and criminals. The agency said that the countries will be reviewed every six months and have an opportunity to be removed from the list when security and cooperation with the U.S. is improved. Chad was removed from the travel ban in 2018.
(Fox News)
Supreme Court Upholds Trump's 2017 Travel Ban
The original travel ban issued during Trump's first week in office in January 2017 barred nearly all immigrants and travelers from seven countries. The policy was revised amid court challenges, and the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately upheld it in June 2018.
(SHRM Online)