President Donald Trump issued a new open-ended travel ban on Monday that saw North Korea, Venezuela and Chad among a list of eight countries cited for poor security and lack of cooperation with US authorities.
The new restrictions replace an expiring 90-day measure that had locked Mr Trump in political and legal battles since he took office in January over what critics alleged was an effort to block Muslims from the US. But the White House stressed it was to protect the US from terror attacks.
“We are taking action to protect the safety and security of the American people by establishing a minimum security baseline for entry into the US,” Mr Trump said in a statement. “We cannot afford to continue the failed policies of the past, which present an unacceptable danger to our country. My highest obligation is to ensure the safety and security of the American people, and in issuing this new travel order, I am fulfilling that sacred obligation,” he said.
Sudan, one of the six majority-Muslim countries on the original travel ban, was removed from the list.
The US has recently praised Sudan’s efforts in fighting terrorism ahead of a decision expected in October on whether to lift decades-old sanctions on Khartoum.
Full bans were newly placed on nationals from North Korea and Chad, and extended for five countries on the original list: Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen.
Limited restrictions, meanwhile, were placed on Venezuela, for officials from government agencies, including interior and foreign ministries, the main police and intelligence services, and other agencies. Mr Trump’s order said Caracas was not cooperating on security issues.
Officials speaking on background stressed that the decision was taken after an extensive review of high-risk countries, which were all given the opportunity to improve their security standards.
The Trump administration officials stressed that the restrictions are “conditions-based, not time-based,” indicating that significant improvements by countries could see them delisted from the travel ban.
The officials also said the addition of North Korea and Venezuela demonstrated that the measure was based on security standards and was not a “Muslim ban,” as detractors have argued.
