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By Brendan Cole

Senior Reporter

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President Donald Trump's administration is considering implementing travel restrictions for the citizens of as many as 43 countries, it has been reported.

A draft list of recommendations has been drawn up by security officials, placing the countries into three different categories — red, orange and yellow — according to The New York Times, citing unnamed U.S. officials.

The red list comprises 11 countries whose citizens would face a complete ban, while the other two lists of countries would face various degrees of visa restrictions, according to the newspaper.

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An official told The New York Times that the draft list is subject to change and had not yet been approved by the Trump administration, including by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Newsweek has contacted the U.S. State Department for comment.

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Why it matters

The draft memo follows an executive order issued by Trump on January 20, which required intensified security vetting of any foreigners seeking entry into the U.S. in order to detect national security threats.

The order also required several cabinet members to submit a list of countries by March 21 from which travel should be fully or partly suspended, because their "vetting and screening information is so deficient as to warrant a partial or full suspension on the admission of nationals from those countries."

Red List

The draft memo lists 11 countries on the red list whose citizens would be completely banned from entering the U.S. These countries include:

• Afghanistan
• Bhutan
• Cuba
• Iran
• Libya
• North Korea
• Somalia
• Sudan
• Syria
• Venezuela
• Yemen

Orange List

The draft orange list includes 10 countries whose citizens would face additional restrictions, but not an entire ban from entering the U.S.

Affluent business travelers could be permitted entry, but not individuals traveling on immigrant or tourist visas, according to The New York Times. Citizens from these countries would also be required to undergo mandatory in-person interviews.

Countries on this list include:

• Belarus
• Eritrea
• Haiti
• Laos
• Myanmar
• Pakistan
• Russia
• Sierra Leone
• South Sudan
• Turkmenistan

Yellow List

The draft yellow list includes 22 countries, which would have 60 days to address deficiency concerns or risk being moved to another category.

Some of the issues these countries would have to address include failing to share information about incoming travelers with the U.S., inadequate security practices for issuing passports, and selling citizenship to people from banned countries.

Countries on this list include:

• Angola
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Benin
• Burkina Faso
• Cambodia
• Cameroon
• Cape Verde
• Chad
• Republic of Congo
• Democratic Republic of Congo
• Dominica
• Equatorial Guinea
• Gambia
• Liberia
• Malawi
• Mali
• Mauritania
• St. Kitts and Nevis
• St. Lucia
• São Tomé and Príncipe
• Vanuatu
• Zimbabwe

What people are saying

Donald Trump's executive order in January stated that travel bans would be reimplemented to protect Americans "from aliens who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten our national security, espouse hateful ideology or otherwise exploit the immigration laws for malevolent purposes."

The State Department previously said it was following Trump's order and was "committed to protecting our nation and its citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa process."

Meanwhile, shortly after becoming president in 2021, Joe Biden revoked the travel bans that Trump imposed in his first term. Biden called the bans a "stain on our national conscience" and "inconsistent with our long history of welcoming people of all faiths and no faith at all."

What happens next

Officials at embassies, State Department regional bureaus and security specialists are currently reviewing the draft memo, according to the New York Times. Amendments to the lists may be made before a final decision is taken by the Trump administration.

It is not yet clear if individuals from affected countries with existing visas would be exempted from the restrictions, or would have their visas canceled.

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