Trump Travel Ban: What Are The 6 New Countries Targeted By President’s Controversial Immigration Policy?

The Trump administration announced on Friday that six new countries would be targeted by the travel ban policy: Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sudan and Tanzania. These six countries were chosen because they failed to meet U.S. security and information-sharing criteria.

Citizens of Nigeria, Myanmar, Eritrea and Kyrgyzstan will no longer be eligible for visas which lead to permanent residency. Sudan and Tanzania will no longer be eligible for the “diversity visa” program, which provides residency visas to countries with low levels of immigration.

"These countries, for the most part, want to be helpful but for a variety of different reasons simply failed to meet those minimum requirements that we laid out,” acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf told reporters about the expansion.

The administration has said that nationals from these countries might still be eligible for a waiver from the ban. Individuals who perform work for the U.S. military or have a dire need may still be able to obtain an immigrant visa.

The presidential proclamation will be implemented on Feb. 21. Citizens of these countries who want to come to the United States for a limited period, such as tourists, business people or those seeking medical care, can still apply for visas.

Top Democrats criticized the expansion and have called for a repeal of the policy.

“The Trump administration’s expansion of its outrageous, un-American travel ban threatens our security, our values and the rule of law," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

"The sweeping rule, barring more than 350 million individuals from predominantly African nations from traveling to the United States, is discrimination disguised as policy."

“We have no other answer to this shameful policy but to pass the NO BAN Act, which will amend the underlying law, repeal the existing travel bans and fix the hole in the heart of American immigration law that was created by this ungrounded decision,” Sen. Christopher Coons, D-Del., said.

There are seven countries already targeted by the Trump immigration ban: Iran, Somalia, Libya, Syria, Yemen, North Korea and Venezuela. Iraq and Chad were two countries originally on the travel ban list, but have since been removed.

Trump has been harshly criticized for the travel ban. During his presidential campaign, Trump had called for a temporary ban on all Muslim immigration. His original travel ban at the start of his presidential term revoked thousands of visas across the country and caused individuals from the targeted countries to be detained at U.S. airports.