Donald Trump travel ban: Afghan, Pakistani citizens barred from entering US? Here's what we know

The Donald Trump administration is gearing up to implement a new travel ban on Muslim-dominated countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan based on a government review of countries' security and vetting risks.

According to a report by Reuters quoting three sources, the list could include other countries as well but they did not know which ones. A report by the New York Times said that the ban could be applicable to certain countries that would be broader than the list that Trump issued in his first term.

The NYT report noted that a draft recommendation proposes a “red” list of countries whose citizens will not be allowed to enter the US.

In the last term of Trump, these countries included Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen. These countries are likely to stay on the list.

This policy had gone through several iterations before it was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.

Trump travel ban: Possible timeline

If the government review goes through, the ban could start as soon as next week, Reuters reported.

Trump's directive is part of an immigration crackdown that he launched at the start of his second term.

He gave an indication of his plan in an October 2023 speech, vowing to restrict people from the Gaza Strip, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and “anywhere else that threatens our security.”

Trump issued an executive order on January 20 requiring intensified security vetting of foreigners seeking US admission to detect national security threats.

That order directed several cabinet members to submit by March 21 a list of countries from which travel should be partly or fully suspended because their “vetting and screening information is so deficient.”

Afghan citizens in trouble?

Reuters and NYT reported that the new ban could affect citizens of Afghanistan by adding the country to the list.

Tens of thousands of Afghan who have been cleared for resettlement in the US as refugees or on Special Immigrant Visas.

The State Department office that oversees their resettlement is seeking an exemption for Special Immigrant Visa holders from the travel ban "but it's not assumed likely to be granted," the source quoted by Reuters said.

The Reuters report also said that Pakistan could be included in the list of countries barred from entering the US.