Anxiety As Trump Plans Travel Ban On 43 Countries

The United States President Donald Trump has stated plans to impose a travel ban on 43 countries.

According to a report on Saturday, Reuters cited an internal memo and officials familiar with the matter.

The memo lists a total of 43 countries divided into three groups: red, orange, and yellow.

Although the list has yet to be approved by the Trump administration, it comprises several African countries, with African economic powerhouses like Nigeria, South Africa, Algeria and Egypt excluded.

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The red group consists of 11 countries- Afghanistan, Iran, Sudan, Syria, Libya, Cuba, Bhutan, Venezuela, North Korea, Yemen, and Somalia- whose nationals would be barred from entering the US.

The orange group comprises 10 countries whose visas would be sharply restricted. They include Russia, Belarus, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Pakistan, Laos, Turkmenistan, Haiti, and Eritrea.

The countries in the last group were given 60 days to address concerns.

The nations on the 22-country yellow list include Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Vanuatu and Zimbabwe.

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The New York Times had first reported the list of countries earmarked for the proposed visa ban.

However, a US official told Reuters that there could be changes on the list and that it was yet to be approved by the administration, including Marco Rubio, the secretary of state.

The proposal is part of an immigration crackdown that Trump launched at the start of his second term in January.