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Donald Trump expands travel ban to include North Korea

Donald Trump said he was working to
Donald Trump said he was working to

Donald Trump unveiled a revamped travel ban on Sunday just as his controversial immigration order covering six Muslim-majority nations was coming to an end. 

Citizens of seven countries will face new restrictions on entry to the US under a proclamation signed by the US President.

"Making America Safe is my number one priority. We will not admit those into our country we cannot safely vet," Mr Trump said in a tweet.

The new rules, which will affect the citizens of Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen, will go into effect on October 18.

Most citizens of these countries will be indefinitely banned from entering the US.

Venezuela was also added to the list, but a suspension of non-immigrant visas to its citizens applies only to senior government officials and their immediate families.

Iraqi citizens will not be subject to travel prohibitions but will face enhanced scrutiny or vetting.

The announcement comes the same day as Mr Trump’s temporary ban on visitors from six Muslim-majority countries is set to expire, 90 days after it went into effect.

That ban had barred citizens of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen who lack a "credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States" from entering the US.  Restrictions on citizens from Sudan were lifted.

"As President, I must act to protect the security and interests of the United States and its people," reads the proclamation.

The addition of North Korea and Venezuela broadens the restrictions from the original, mostly Muslim-majority list.

"North Korea does not cooperate with the United States government in any respect and fails to satisfy all information-sharing requirements," the proclamation said.

An administration official, briefing reporters on a conference call, acknowledged that the number of North Koreans travelling to the United States now was very low.

Officials stressed that valid visas would not be revoked as a result of the proclamation. The order also permits, but does not guarantee, case-by-case waivers.

Donald Trumps travel ban
Donald Trumps travel ban

The restrictions are targeted at countries that Department of Homeland Security officials say refuse to share information with the US or haven’t taken necessary security precautions.

"The acting secretary has recommended actions that are tough and that are tailored, including restrictions and enhanced screening for certain countries," said Miles Taylor, counselor to acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke, said on Friday.

Earlier on Sunday, Mr Trump told reporters about the ban: "The tougher, the better."

Unlike Mr Trump’s first travel ban, which sparked chaos at airports across the country and a flurry of legal challenges, officials said they had been working for months on the new rules, in collaboration with various agencies and in conversation with foreign governments.

The restrictions are based on a new baseline developed by DHS that includes factors such as whether countries issue electronic passports with biometric information and share information about travellers’ terror-related and criminal histories. The US then shared those benchmarks with every country in the world and gave them 50 days to comply.

The eight countries are those that refused or were unable to comply.

Mr Trump last week called for a "tougher" travel ban after a bomb partially exploded on a London subway.

"The travel ban into the United States should be far larger, tougher and more specific-but stupidly, that would not be politically correct!" he tweeted.

Critics have accused Mr Trump of overstepping his authority and violating the US Constitution’s protections against religious bias. Mr Trump had called for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States" during his campaign.

The new policy could complicate the Supreme Court’s review of the order, which is scheduled for argument next month.