President Donald Trump banned travel from seven African countries starting June 9. Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Libya, Somalia and Sudan face complete entry restrictions to America. Trump said these nations harbor terrorists and cannot verify traveler identities properly. The countries also have high rates of people who overstay their visas illegally. Zimbabwe avoided the ban but remains on a warning list with 22 other countries.
Zimbabwe has 60 days to fix problems with security practices and passport rules. The country must improve data sharing with American officials or face future travel restrictions. Secretary of State Marco Rubio led the security review that created these new policies. Trump posted a video explaining the decision came after finding terrorist presence and poor cooperation from banned countries. He mentioned the recent Boulder Colorado attack as proof that better vetting protects Americans.
Three other African nations will face partial travel limits but details remain unclear. Burundi, Sierra Leone and Togo expect restrictions on temporary visas and certain traveler types. Somalia's ambassador said his country wants to work with America to address the concerns raised. The new bans expand Trump's earlier travel restrictions from his first presidency. These policies add tension to relationships between America and African governments already dealing with new trade tariffs.
Zimbabwe has 60 days to fix problems with security practices and passport rules. The country must improve data sharing with American officials or face future travel restrictions. Secretary of State Marco Rubio led the security review that created these new policies. Trump posted a video explaining the decision came after finding terrorist presence and poor cooperation from banned countries. He mentioned the recent Boulder Colorado attack as proof that better vetting protects Americans.
Three other African nations will face partial travel limits but details remain unclear. Burundi, Sierra Leone and Togo expect restrictions on temporary visas and certain traveler types. Somalia's ambassador said his country wants to work with America to address the concerns raised. The new bans expand Trump's earlier travel restrictions from his first presidency. These policies add tension to relationships between America and African governments already dealing with new trade tariffs.
