United States President Donald Trump may considerably increase his travel ban list within the subsequent few weeks to incorporate 36 extra international locations, 26 of that are in Africa, US media stories say, citing inside authorities paperwork.
With 10 international locations already included on Trump’s preliminary record, residents of 36 of Africa’s 54 nations may now be banned, absolutely or partially, from getting into the US if the brand new record takes impact. This might make Africa the most-banned area of the world in terms of travelling to the US.
The visa bans are a part of Trump’s promised immigration crackdown, which has been in movement since he took workplace in January, and which has already seen residents of 19 international locations in Africa and the Center East banned or severely restricted from getting into the US.
In a memorandum despatched to US representatives within the affected international locations on June 14, Secretary of State Marco Rubio mentioned the governments of these international locations had been given 60 days to fulfill requirements dictated by the Division of State. The memo additionally requested that these international locations present an preliminary motion plan in step with assembly these measures by June 18.
That deadline has now handed. It’s unclear if any of these international locations have submitted the requested plans of motion.
Right here’s what we all know concerning the doable Africa journey bans and who might be affected:
What number of African international locations are on the record?
Of the 36 new international locations talked about within the reported memo, 26 are in Africa: Angola; Benin; Burkina Faso; Cabo Verde; Cambodia; Cameroon; the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC); Djibouti; Ethiopia; Egypt; Gabon; The Gambia; Ghana; Ivory Coast; Liberia; Malawi; Mauritania; Niger; Nigeria; Sao Tome and Principe; Senegal; South Sudan; Tanzania; Uganda; Zambia; and Zimbabwe.
Others on the record are within the Caribbean, Asia, the Pacific and the Center East: Antigua and Barbuda, Bhutan, Cambodia, Dominica, Kyrgyzstan, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Syria, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
International locations which fail to handle considerations raised by the Trump administration adequately might be really useful for a ban as early as August, the memo says.
Seven African international locations have been included on Trump’s first record of 12 international locations fully banned from getting into the US from June 4. They’re Somalia, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Libya, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea and Sudan. Three others – Sierra Leone, Burundi and Togo – have been named on a separate record of seven international locations which now face partial restrictions on their residents, which means some restricted US visa classes are nonetheless open to them.
This brings the whole to 36 of Africa’s 54 international locations on a possible ban record for journey to the US.
Why is Trump banning residents of African international locations?
Saturday’s memo gave a variety of causes for a possible ban on the international locations affected. It didn’t present justifications particular to every nation, however cautioned that international locations had been flagged for separate causes.
Among the international locations are designated as “sponsors of terrorism” or have residents who have been “concerned with acts of terrorism in the US”, in accordance with one motive given. Others, as per the memo, would not have a reputable “authorities authority to supply dependable id paperwork”, have unreliable prison information, or promote citizenship to individuals who don’t dwell of their international locations.
Excessive charges of visa overstays by residents of some international locations have been additionally cited as causes to curb travellers, in addition to a scarcity of cooperation by states in terms of taking again residents who’ve been deported from the US.
Affected international locations may deal with US considerations by agreeing to just accept again deportees – even these originating from different international locations – or agreeing to change into a “secure third nation” that may absorb individuals searching for asylum within the US, the memo said. Mineral-rich DRC proposed such a deal to the White Home in March.
In early June, when the primary journey ban record was launched, Trump said in a video message launched by the White Home {that a} latest assault on a pro-Israel rally in Boulder, Colorado, “underscored the acute risks posed to our nation by the entry of overseas nationals who usually are not correctly vetted”.
Suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian nationwide who has additionally lived in Kuwait, has since been arrested and charged with a federal hate crime and a number of other different state fees. His spouse and 5 youngsters are presently detained by US immigration officers. Egypt is now being thought of for a ban, though Kuwait is just not on both record of nations dealing with visa bans.
This isn’t the primary time Trump has banned residents of different international locations, which critics level out are typically non-white and low-income nations. Throughout his first presidential time period, a controversial and highly-challenged coverage, which got here to be generally known as the “Muslim ban”, noticed seven Muslim-majority international locations on a purple record that later expanded to incorporate some low-income African nations. Former President Joe Biden rescinded the ban when he took workplace in 2021.
How many individuals from African international locations dwell within the US?
About two million of the US’s 44 million immigrant inhabitants come from African nations, in accordance with knowledge from the US-based Migration Coverage Institute. Almost half of African immigrants migrated to the US after 2010, in accordance with the US Census Bureau, and signify the fastest-growing immigrant bloc in recent times.
Many African immigrants are extremely educated with a number of levels, and signify the most important immigrant group within the labour drive, the bureau reported. About 61 % are naturalised US residents.
Right here’s a breakdown of immigrant numbers by nation between 1960 and 2023, in accordance with data from the Migration Coverage Institute:
- Nigeria – 476,000
- Ethiopia – 278,200
- Ghana – 241,000
- Egypt – 225, 665
- Liberia – 100,800
- Somalia – 92,400
- Cameroon – 90,700
- DRC – 62,500
- Eritrea – 49,755
- Sierra Leone – 45,532
- Tanzania – 40,420
- Togo – 37,000
- Cabo Verde – 31,441
- Senegal – 28,581
- Ivory Coast – 25,426
- Zimbabwe – 24,490
How would possibly these individuals be affected?
Trump’s journey bans are prone to trigger an excessive amount of uncertainty for individuals who already dwell within the US, specialists say.
Michelle Mittelstadt, director of communications on the Migration Coverage Institute, instructed Al Jazeera on the time of the primary journey ban announcement: “For residents of those international locations residing within the US who usually are not naturalised residents, the journey ban probably will freeze them in place, as many might be fearful that they may not be permitted re-entry in the event that they go away the US briefly.”
Mittelstadt added that the journey ban may cut up households, “given the lack to journey legally to the US or apply for a everlasting or short-term visa, in addition to the immobility it will confer on many voters of those international locations who’re already within the US”.
How usually do individuals from these international locations journey to the US?
In line with Statista, about 588,177 guests from Africa travelled to the US in 2024. A historic breakdown by nation is just not out there.
This 12 months, no African nation is on the record of the highest 20 international locations visiting the US, in accordance with data from the US Division of Commerce. About 100,000 guests have been recorded to this point, from the African continent, principally from:
- South Africa – 24,800
- Nigeria – 18,093
- Egypt – 13,376
- Ghana – 7,018
- Kenya – 5,409
How are African international locations responding to the looming US visa ban?
Nigeria’s International Minister Yusuf Tuggar warned this week that the US may miss out on important and uncommon earth mineral offers if it bans residents of West African international locations.
“This might be most unlucky if it involves go as a result of we’re a area of alternatives able to do offers,” Tuggar, who at present chairs the regional bloc Financial Neighborhood of West Africa’s (ECOWAS) council of overseas ministers, mentioned in a gathering together with his counterparts. He cited Nigeria’s reserves of oil and fuel. The nation can also be wealthy in tantalite and uranium.
Sarang Shidore, director of the World South programme at US assume tank Quincy Institute, instructed Al Jazeera that visa bans have been akin to “constructing partitions” between the US and focused areas.
“Africa, notably, is essential to the US as it’s a web site of pure assets, a rising market, and a gifted inhabitants,” Shidore mentioned. “If Washington desires to limit migration and journey from the continent, it ought to discover different, non-militarised methods of demonstrating US dedication to stronger relations with African states.”
Trump has certainly seemed to be eager on placing offers for uncommon earth minerals, essential for the manufacturing of smartphones and electrical car batteries.
For instance, Washington and Beijing are set to signal an settlement that may see China present uncommon earth parts and minerals essential for manufacturing tech devices and weapons, in alternate for continued entry to US colleges for Chinese language college students, in accordance with a social media publish by Trump final week.
Final month, the US additionally introduced an agreement with Ukraine over uncommon earth minerals in return for help in rebuilding the nation as soon as the warfare with Russia is over.
When the primary journey ban record was introduced in the beginning of June, Chad responded to its inclusion by suspending visas for US residents. In a Fb publish, President Idriss Deby mentioned: “I’ve instructed the federal government to behave in accordance with the ideas of reciprocity and droop the issuance of visas to US residents.”
In line with the newest figures from the US Division of Homeland Safety, nationals of Chad had the very best visa overstay charge, at 49.5 % of these arriving within the nation.
Different affected African nations have struck a extra conciliatory tone.
Sierra Leone’s Data Minister Chernor Bah mentioned in a press release that his nation was able to cooperate with the US. “Our angle to that is, what extra can we do? How can we collaborate with our US companions, with whom now we have and consider will keep an excellent relationship,” he mentioned.
Trump’s preliminary proclamation in early June mentioned Sierra Leone, which is now topic to partial restrictions, “has traditionally failed to just accept again its detachable nationals”.
Somalia’s ambassador to the US, Dahir Hassan, mentioned the East African nation wished to work with the US. “Somalia values its longstanding relationship with the US and stands prepared to interact in dialogue to handle the considerations raised,” he mentioned.
Trump’s proclamation described Somalia as “a terrorist secure haven” and said: “Somalia lacks a reliable or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil paperwork and it doesn’t have applicable screening and vetting measures.”
The African Union, in the meantime, in a press release on June 5, known as on the US to undertake a extra constructive strategy and to dialogue with African nations to keep up what it mentioned have been traditionally robust ties.
“The African Union respectfully calls upon the US Administration to contemplate adopting a extra consultative strategy and to interact in constructive dialogue with the international locations involved. The Fee appeals for clear communication, and the place needed, collaborative efforts to handle any underlying points which will have knowledgeable this resolution,” the AU assertion mentioned.