President Donald Trump is expected to ban or severely restrict travel to the United States by citizens of more than a dozen countries, including Iran and Venezuela, as soon as Friday.
Trump ordered his administration to establish vetting and screening standards and procedures for entry into the U.S. and submit a list of countries that do not meet them by March 21. The order follows on a campaign pledge and an initiative from Trump’s first day in office.
He also directed officials to identify and potentially remove nationals from earmarked countries who entered the U.S. during the Biden administration.
The resulting actions could be more sweeping than the travel ban Trump put on seven majority-Muslim countries during hisfirst term that led to chaos at airports and lawsuits alleging religious discrimination.
Trump issued multiple versions of the ban in 2017 until he landed on one that the Supreme Court upheld, and his most recent executive order directs members of his Cabinet to expand on what was in place when he exited office.
This time around, Trump went through a more rigorous process to implement his expected travel ban, calling for restrictions based on the level of information that countries collect and provide on international travelers. And he will benefit from an even more conservative Supreme Court when his executive actions face legal challenges.
A list of more than 40 countries whose citizens could be barred or limited from entry into the United States is reportedly under consideration. That list includes, Afghanistan, North Korea and even tiny Bhutan, a majority-Buddhist Himalayan nation.
The State Department declined on Thursday afternoon to comment on the deliberations.
