U.S. weighing travel restrictions on 36 more countries

Shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump's new travel ban, which bars citizens of 12 countries from entering the United States took effect, a new report says the administration is considering adding travel restrictions to 36 more countries – including some major U.S. partners such as Egypt and Djibouti.

The new information was cited in an internal memo seen by The Washington Post.

The memo, which was signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and sent to U.S. diplomats on Saturday, says the governments of the listed nations have 60 days to meet new requirements established by the State Department.

The State Department claimed that certain countries failed to meet key criteria, including the absence of a functioning or cooperative central government capable of issuing trustworthy identity documents, or having a high number of citizens who have overstayed or otherwise violated their visa terms.

But the memo contains a caveat: if a country is willing to accept third-country nationals who are being removed from the United States, it would ease other concerns.

The list of countries which could face visa restrictions, travel bans, or other restrictions includes 25 countries in Africa: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Egypt, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Several Caribbean countries are on the list as well: Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia.

There are also four countries in Asia listed: Bhutan, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, and Syria; and three countries in Oceania: Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu

Those countries have until 8 a.m. Wednesday to provide the U.S. State Department with a plan of action to meet the new requirements.

Trump’s current travel ban, which was signed last week, restricts the nationals of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen from entering the U.S.

Nationals from a further seven countries - Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela - will face partial travel restrictions.

Trump has said the list could be revised if "material improvements" were made, while other countries could be added as "threats emerge around the world.”

Don't miss a single travel story: subscribe to PAX today!  Click here to follow PAX on Facebook.