President Donald Trump could implement a ban on people traveling to the US from Afghanistan, Pakistan and other countries as soon as next week, according to new reports.
This comes after Trump issued an executive order on January 20 directing cabinet members to draft a list of countries that should face full or partial travel restrictions because their "vetting and screening information is so deficient." Trump promised to “restore the travel ban” on day one of his presidency — a commitment he did not keep.
During his first term, Trump banned travelers from several majority-Muslim countries — a policy which the Supreme Court ultimately upheld in 2018. Trump’s travel restrictions and bans impacted seven percent of the world’s population.
Afghanistan and Pakistan will likely be included on the list, Reuters reports. Meanwhile, the list may also include several countries targeted during Trump’s first term, according to The New York Times. This list included Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen.
Here’s what we know about the potential ban:
Impacts on Afghans eligible for resettlement after helping US troops
A travel ban on Afghanistan could impact the thousands of Afghans who have been applied or been approved for Special Immigrant Visas after working for the US military throughout its 20-year presence.
Some 200,000 Afghans are awaiting either US resettlement or approval on their Special Immigrant Visa applications. Resettlement is key for them as they face threats of retribution from the Taliban for assisting American troops.
The State Department could request exemptions for Afghans who have applied for resettlement, but “it’s not assumed likely to be granted,” one source told Reuters.
#AfghanEvac, a coalition of groups which works to help coordinate resettlement with the US government, released a statement Wednesday titled “IMPORTANT TRAVEL NOTICE FOR AFGHANS.”
“If you have a valid U.S. visa in your passport or travel document, you should make travel arrangements immediately,” the statement reads. “Nothing has officially changed yet, but sources within the U.S. government indicate that a travel ban for Afghan nationals may be announced within the next week.”
What happened last time?
In January 2017, Trump enacted his first travel ban, which said travelers (including green card holders) from seven Muslim-majority countries could not enter the US. But the courts struck it down.
Trump then tried again, excluding green card holders and removing Iraq from the list. The move continued to face challenges in court and was blocked.
The president then signed a third version of the ban, which affected six Muslim-majority countries and North Korea. This version was ultimately upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.
The ban stayed in place until 2021, when President Joe Biden repealed it.
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