Updated: Sep 27, 2017
The Trump administration's widely criticised 'Muslim ban' on nationals and dual passport holders from five (previously seven) Muslim majority countries is potentially being extended. Now, it will include nationals from Chad, North Korea, and Venezuela, and as a result this piece of USA immigration and ESTA news is likely to have a highly negative effect both on the USA's relationships with these three newly affected nations and on the way in which the US is viewed in the world as a whole.
On October 18th 2017, a block on nationals of North Korea, Chad, and Venezuela who wish to enter the United States will come into force. In the case of North Korea and Chad, the block is total: no national of either of these countries will be allowed to enter the United States. If they attempt to enter, they will have their USA visa denied to them (even if they had previously been granted a visa). In the case of Venezuela, the block is not so all encompassing and extends only to certain government officials, and to the families of those government officials. Nationals of Chad, Venezuela, and North Korea were not eligible for the ESTA Visa Waiver Program (which enables visa free access to the US to nationals from eligible countries who meet certain requirements - e.g. the absence of a criminal record - and who fill out an online form). The chances that the Trump administration might extend the ESTA Visa Waiver program to these three countries now look even closer to zero. This new travel ban makes no allowances for refugees who are nationals of one of these three countries: they too are banned from entering the US under these planned USA immigration rules. This is despite the fact that wars in and around Chad, and violence and high levels of poverty and food shortages in Venezuela have caused many nationals of these countries to be displaced, and to seek new opportunities elsewhere in the world.
This USA immigration news item, which was released on September 25th 2017, is the latest in an array of largely chaotically implemented xenophobic, Islamophobic, and racially motivated discriminatory actions against foreign nationals wishing to enter the US. Trump's presidential election campaign was besmirched by the highly xenophobic remarks that he made about Mexicans, for example. In addition, the Trump administration had already made it significantly more difficult for nationals of South American countries (except Chile, which is part of the Visa Waiver Program) to enter the US by introducing mandatory interviews for visa applications, extending wait times for visa approval by two months or more. A little earlier in September 2017, just before the news of the updated travel ban broke out, Trump took to Twitter to insult the North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un. Kim Jong Un responded that he took Trump's words as a declaration of war, and a warrant for North Korean armed forces to shoot down American airliners in North Korean territory. Many commentators argue that President Trump and the Trump administration as a whole have tarnished the reputations of the Republican Party and of the US as a whole, both nationally and internationally.
The Trump administration's Muslim ban was due to be challenged in the United State's Supreme Court on October 10th, 2017. Arguments were planned to be heard both in favour of, and against, the ban and then a ruling was to be made on whether or not it is legal and hence whether or not it can be allowed to remain in force. These recent blocks on USA visa applications from three new nations is likely to have a dramatic effect on the arguments that are made on either side of the issue during the October 10th court case. It is likely that a ruling for or against the travel ban on nationals of Venezuela, Chad, and North Korea will also now be made on October 10th. It is also highly likely that, as with the other discriminatory, racist, and xenophobic proclamations made by the Trump administration, this new travel ban will face significant challenges from bodies such as the ACLA and widespread opposition from the general public.
With the Supreme Court case just a few weeks away, it is crucial to stay abreast of the latest developments on the topic. Keep checking back for breaking visa related news.
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