The Trump administration’s plan to ban travelers from 43 countries from entering the U.S. has been delayed indefinitely.
On January 20, Trump issued an executive order to increase security vetting for foreigners seeking U.S. entry to identify national security threats.
In March, the White House released a memo dividing countries into three groups. The first group, which includes countries like Afghanistan, Cuba, Iran, and North Korea, would face full visa suspensions. The second group, consisting of 10 countries, would see partial suspensions affecting tourist, student, and some immigrant visas, with some exceptions. The third group, with 22 countries, would face potential partial suspensions if their governments fail to address security deficiencies within 60 days.
However, the ban has now been delayed as the State Department has missed deadlines to submit a report with recommendations for these restrictions. The report, originally due on March 21, is still being worked on, according to department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce.
Bruce explained, “We’re working on the executive order’s requirements, which are not travel bans, but restrictions based on security and vetting standards for entry into the U.S.” She also confirmed there is no new deadline for the report but reassured that the work is ongoing.