United States President, Donald Trump is reportedly considering placing Nigeria and 35 other countries under a new travel ban or visa restriction, an internal memo obtained by The Washington Post revealed.
The memo, reportedly signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, outlined that the identified countries have 60 days to meet new, undisclosed requirements set by the U.S. State Department or face visa restrictions or outright travel bans.
The draft list includes 25 African nations such as Nigeria, Angola, Ghana, Ethiopia, Egypt, and Cameroon, raising concerns of targeted policies against the continent.
Other countries on the list include Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Bhutan, Cambodia, Syria, and Tonga.
While official comment was yet to be made by the White House, the memo revealed that the countries in question were expected to submit initial plans of action by Wednesday to demonstrate compliance with U.S. security and immigration standards.
This is not the first time the Trump administration has considered mass travel restrictions. In March, a travel ban was proposed on 43 countries from which Nigeria was exempted.
The countries were classified into three categories – Red stands for 11 countries whose nationals were to be fully barred from entering the U.S; Orange represents 10 countries whose visa issuance would be significantly restricted while Yellow stands for nations given a 60-day window to address specific U.S. concerns.
