U.S. plans to add Nigeria and others to travel ban: reports
The Trump administration is planning on adding seven more African, Asian, and Eastern European countries to its travel ban list, according to U.S. media.
African nations are particularly targeted according to the Wall Street Journal, with Nigeria, Eritrea, Sudan, and Tanzania affected.
Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Myanmar are also named.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday (January 22), Trump said an announced would be made soon.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, SAYING:
"No, we're adding a couple of countries to it. We have to be safe, our country has to be safe, you see what is going on in the world. Our country has to be safe. So we have a very strong travel ban and we'll be adding a few countries to it."
Some countries will face only bans on certain visa categories, according to the Journal, while Politico reports that the list of countries could still change.
But the move will likely sour ties with the US.
For example Nigeria, Africa's largest economy and most populous country, is a U.S. anti-terrorism partner and has a large diaspora residing in the United States.
Under the current version of the ban, citizens of Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen, as well as some Venezuelan officials and their relatives, are blocked from obtaining a large range of U.S. immigrant and non-immigrant visas.
