Our Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Kristi Noem, recently stated that the United States government will be extending our travel ban. This new ban will now cover more than 30 countries. This latest decision follows a similar proclamation by former President Donald Trump signed on June 26. That proclamation, known as the Muslim Ban, banned citizens from 12 countries from entering the U.S. and imposed harsh restrictions on citizens from an additional seven countries.
The travel ban is deepening every day as security considerations surge. This decision comes just a few days after two National Guard members were killed when a gunman opened fire on them in Washington, D.C. After a brief investigation, the Taliban announced the shooter was an Afghan national who came to the U.S. in 2021 through a State Department resettlement program. This unfortunate event has led the Trump administration to rethink previous immigration enforcement policies and impose even tougher requirements. Not stopping there, Trump administration officials have gone on the record stating that this resettlement program was not vetted enough. In reaction, they have called for more rigorous vetting of all those entering our country.
In her announcement, Noem emphasized the need for stability and proper governance in a country before allowing its citizens to enter the U.S. She stated,
“If they don’t have a stable government there, if they don’t have a country that can sustain itself and tell us who those individuals are and help us vet them, why should we allow people from that country to come here to the United States?”
One of the administration’s most harmful plans is to stop immigration applications from 19 countries that are already covered by U.S. travel bans. Naturalization ceremonies for individuals from travel ban countries have been postponed or canceled. This result is disappointing to millions of individuals who were looking forward to this important development in their quest for future citizenship.
Critics, including immigrant rights groups and Congressional lawmakers, have readily criticized the move to further heighten migratory enforcement. They contend that such actions do more harm than good by disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations while failing to improve national security as claimed. This $66 billion expansion is an enormous change in policy on immigration. This shift has been in the making ever since Trump first imposed the travel ban, saying it was necessary to protect us from “foreign terrorists” and other security threats.