The Washington Post is reporting that Ghana is among 36 countries whose citizens are being considered for a possible ban from entering the United States.
The report says “an additional 36 countries in what would be a significant expansion of the travel ban announced by the Trump administration early this month, according to a State Department memo reviewed by The Washington Post.”
Among the countries that could “face visa bans or other restrictions are 25 African nations, including significant U.S. partners such as Egypt and Djibouti, plus countries in the Caribbean, Central Asia and several Pacific Island nations.”
The Trump administration has already announced restrictions against citizens from 19 countries, and the latest consideration is reportedly being considered by the U.S. government.
The Post’s report states: “The memo, which was signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and sent Saturday to U.S. diplomats who work with the countries, said the governments of listed nations were being given 60 days to meet new benchmarks and requirements established by the State Department. It set a deadline of 8 a.m. Wednesday for them to provide an initial action plan for meeting the requirements.”
It continues: ” The memo identified varied benchmarks that, in the administration’s estimation, these countries were failing to meet. Some countries had ‘no competent or cooperative central government authority to produce reliable identity documents or other civil documents,’ or they suffered from ‘widespread government fraud.’ Others had large numbers of citizens who overstayed their visas in the United States, the memo said.
“Other reasons included the availability of citizenship by monetary investment without a requirement of residency and claims of ‘antisemitic and anti-American activity in the United States’ by people from those countries. The memo also stated that if a country was willing to accept third-country nationals who were removed from the United States or enter a ‘safe third country’ agreement it could mitigate other concerns.”
The countries named in the said memo are:
The countries listed in the memo are: Angola; Antigua and Barbuda; Benin; Bhutan; Burkina Faso; Cabo Verde; Cambodia; Cameroon; Côte d’Ivoire; Democratic Republic of Congo; Djibouti; Dominica; Ethiopia; Egypt; Gabon; Gambia; Ghana; Kyrgyzstan; Liberia; Malawi; Mauritania; Niger; Nigeria; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Sao Tome and Principe; Senegal; South Sudan; Syria; Tanzania; Tonga; Tuvalu; Uganda; Vanuatu; Zambia; and Zimbabwe.The countries facing scrutiny in the memo are listed as: Angola; Antigua and Barbuda; Benin; Bhutan; Burkina Faso; Cabo Verde; Cambodia; Cameroon; Côte d’Ivoire; Democratic Republic of Congo; Djibouti; Dominica; Ethiopia; Egypt; Gabon; Gambia; Ghana; Kyrgyzstan; Liberia; Malawi; Mauritania; Niger; Nigeria; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Sao Tome and Principe; Senegal; South Sudan; Syria; Tanzania; Tonga; Tuvalu; Uganda; Vanuatu; Zambia; and Zimbabwe.
Credit: Washington Post
