The Trump Administration has added some of Africa’s biggest countries to the “Travel Ban” list. Nigeria, Eritrea, Sudan, and Tanzania have made it to the updated restricted countries list. Kyrgyzstan and Myanmar also made the list. Trump also implemented new rules regarding travelers from China due to the coronavirus epidemic. Trump’s decision to ban these countries is based on, according to the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department, their inability to provide sufficient or satisfactory information regarding terrorism within their states. Kyrgyz officials claim that their inclusion in the ban is due to Kyrgyzstan not having updated passport biometrics systems set in place. Some critics of the ban believe that inclusion of these six countries seemingly follows the Trump Administration’s push on preventing nationals of certain majority Muslim countries from entering the United States. The Trump Administration's decision to restrict travel falls primarily under the prevention of terrorist attacks in the United States. However, questions must be asked about the selection of these countries. For instance, Nigeria’s military has cooperated with and trained alongside the United States military for years. For Nigerian nationals who are themselves fleeing terrorism, the travel ban inclusion will now make any visa nearly impossible to obtain. The impact of the ban may play a toll on Africa’s economy, with Nigeria possessing the largest GDP of the continent. The addition of these six new countries into the Travel Ban will take effect on February 22nd. The Trump Administration focused on banning the issuance of Immigrant Visas with respect to these countries, but nationals of the six countries who obtained Immigrant Visas before then will still be able to travel to the United States, according to officials. Foreign nationals who have obtained nonimmigrant visas, temporary workers, and those with specialized skill occupations and students, will not be affected by this ban. A waiver is available and must be requested in each Immigrant Visa case for citizens of the affected countries. Traditionally, the requirement for an Immigrant Visa waiver is “extreme hardship” to a qualifying U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident family member. However, the administration has not specified an adjudication process, nor how entry will be permitted for those who qualify for this special circumstance.
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Michael G. Ibrahim, Esq.
Founder & Principal Attorney — Ibrahim Law Office
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DePaul University College of Law
J.D., 2013
Certificate in Public Interest Law
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
B.A. Political Science & International Studies, 2010
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Editor, Journal for Social Justice — DePaul University
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