The Trump administration plans to impose new visa restrictions on citizens from 41 countries, according to an internal memo revealed by Reuters.
This measure, still under study, is part of the American president’s desire to harden entry controls in the United States, invoking concerns related to national security.
Total suspension of visas envisaged
Ten countries appear on the list of nations likely to be targeted by a complete suspension of visas, thus prohibiting any issuance of visa for their nationals:
Afghanistan
Cuba
Iran
Libya
North Korea
Somalia
Sudan
Syria
Venezuela
Yemen
Partial suspension of the visas envisaged
Five other countries could be subject to partial restrictions, affecting tourist visas, students and other types of non-immigrant visas:
Eritrea
Haiti
Laos
Myanmar
South Sudan
Country under surveillance
A third category of 26 countries is identified as at risk of partial suspension if their security processes are not reinforced. Among them are Pakistan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Chad, Cape Verde and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
A senior American official, speaking under anonymity, said that this list was not final and that she was still due to receive the approval of the administration, notably from the Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
An air of deja
This possible measure recalls the controversial decree of 2017, signed by Donald Trump during his first mandate, which initially prohibited the entry to nationals of seven Muslim majority countries. Despite several legal battles, the Supreme Court had validated policy in 2018.
As part of his second mandate, Donald Trump signed, on January 20, a decree imposing an increased control of visa requests. This text requires that the members of the firm submit, by March 21, a list of countries not respecting the security standards required by Washington. These new restrictions could be implemented after their validation.
The opposition denounces a discriminatory policy and an electoral maneuver with the approach of the presidential elections of 2028. “It is a rehearsal of 2017, with a different dressing, but the same logic of exclusion,” said a democrat at the Congress.
