President Joe Biden told reporters that he is considering reversing the travel ban he imposed on eight southern African nations that first reported the Omicron variant.
During the brief period after Biden&#8217;s Tuesday <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVyiU7Cdkd4&amp;t=1801">press conference</a> when he took questions from reporters, Fox News White House reporter Jacqui Heinrich asked Biden whether he was going to reverse the ban. “I’m considering reversing. I’m going to talk with my team in the next couple of days,” Biden responded.
“Remember, why I said we put the travel ban on is to see how much time we had before it hit here so we could begin to decide what we needed by looking at what’s happening in other countries,” Biden continued. “But we’re past that now. And so it’s something that’s being raised with me by the docs, and I’ll have an answer for that soon.”
The Biden administration originally imposed the travel restrictions on <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-implements-travel-restrictions-on-8-nations-amid-new-coronavirus-variant-outbreak">November 26</a>. The Daily Wire reported at the time:
<blockquote>The travel restrictions will go into effect on Monday, but they will not apply to U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents. The eight nations are South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Malawi.
Biden said that the move came after he was briefed by Dr. Antony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the chief medical advisor to the president.
Fauci had suggested earlier in the day during an interview with CNN that more information was needed before making a decision on whether to ban travel because “you don’t want to say you’re going to do it until you have some scientific reason to do it.”
“That’s the reason why we’re rushing now to get that scientific data to try and make an informed decision about something like that,” Fauci added.
Early testing for the new variant showed that 90% of the cases that were reported on Wednesday came from the South African province that includes Johannesburg.</blockquote>
The White House&#8217;s decision followed travel bans on many of the same nations by a number of countries, including the U.K., Japan, Canada, and a number of European Union members, and several Arab and other Asian nations. The travel bans were a part of the Biden administration&#8217;s winter strategy for COVID-19. The administration also mandated international travelers coming into the U.S. to be <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bidens-latest-covid-rule-takes-effect-requiring-testing-for-entrance-to-u-s-including-americans">tested within a day of their departure</a>, regardless of their nationality or vaccination status, and extended the federal mask mandate for federally-managed travel, including airplanes, buses, and trains.
Biden made the comments after <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-coughs-through-his-covid-19-press-conference">remarks</a> on the administration&#8217;s plan to combat the Omicron variant on Tuesday. Biden warned of a coming spread of the Omicron variant over the winter and addressed his plans to combat the virus. He also took a hard line against unvaccinated Americans, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-set-to-deliver-national-scolding-to-the-unvaxxed">scolding the unvaccinated</a>, warning them that they face serious illness and death, and preemptively blaming them for a possible surge in COVID cases and potentially overwhelming hospitals. Biden blamed the downturn in vaccinations on &#8220;vaccine skepticism,&#8221; which &#8220;hardened&#8221; over the summer due to &#8220;misinformation&#8221; by media personalities and social media.

Joe Biden

Biden: Administration ‘Considering’ Lifting African Travel Ban Amid Omicron Concerns

Biden Administration

COVID

Omicron Variant

Travel Ban

Sunny Hostin, a regular host on ABC&#8217;s &#8220;The View,&#8221; said Monday that she wasn&#8217;t sure President Joe Biden&#8217;s travel restrictions were any less problematic than former President Donald Trump&#8217;s had been.
Following the news over the Thanksgiving holiday that doctors in South Africa had discovered the new Omicron variant, the United States — along with a number of other countries — <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/biden-implements-travel-restrictions-on-8-nations-amid-new-coronavirus-variant-outbreak/">imposed restrictions</a> on flights from several countries in Africa where the variant had been identified.
A number of people took to Twitter immediately afterward, noting that then-candidate Joe Biden had been critical of the previous administration&#8217;s move to <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/peter-doocy-spars-with-jen-psaki-over-xenophobic-travel-bans-and-bidens-maskless-shopping-trips/">ban travel</a> from China in the early days of the pandemic.
Pollster Frank Luntz noted, &#8220;The same people who called Trump&#8217;s pandemic travel ban &#8216;<a href="https://dailywire.com/news/cnn-claims-biden-didnt-call-trumps-china-travel-restrictions-xenophobic-heres-the-tweet-where-he-did-exactly-that/">xenophobic&#8217;</a> or &#8216;racist&#8217; are suddenly silent about Biden&#8217;s travel ban. A dozen non-African countries with confirmed Omicron cases are not included in the ban.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The same people who called Trump&#8217;s pandemic travel ban &#8220;xenophobic&#8221; or &#8220;racist&#8221; are suddenly silent about Biden&#8217;s travel ban.
A dozen non-African countries with confirmed Omicron cases are not included in the ban. <a href="https://t.co/1PyLlQoBkb">pic.twitter.com/1PyLlQoBkb</a>
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) <a href="https://twitter.com/FrankLuntz/status/1465439153202421762?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Cohost Whoopi Goldberg introduced the topic on &#8220;The View&#8221; with a clip of Congresswoman Nancy Mace (R-SC) complaining that Republicans and Democrats were held to different standards and treated differently by media.
&#8220;I would — I have to say that’s not exactly true,&#8221; Goldberg claimed. &#8220;There’s a lot of reasons for that. Perhaps it’s because we talk different languages. You think it&#8217;s ok to call people names and make cartoons about them, we think it&#8217;s kinda &#8230; maybe wanna not do that, but that might be crazy of me to say. What is your take on all of this?&#8221;
&#8220;He called — Trump called it the China virus, remember that? And the Kung Flu. And Joe Biden basically pointed out that President Trump has a record of &#8216;hysterical xenophobia and fearmongering.&#8217; DUH. That’s the difference,&#8221; cohost Joy Behar added.
&#8220;It is a difference, but I don’t know that the travel ban makes sense,&#8221; Hostin objected. &#8220;I don&#8217;t know that it&#8217;s that different because he’s banning people from African countries and we know that this variant is not only in South Africa, and South Africa has some of the world’s best scientists and epidemiologists and I think that&#8217;s why they found the variant there.&#8221;
&#8220;And they were good enough to say they had it,&#8221; Behar added, noting that honesty and transparency were of the utmost importance.
&#8220;This variant was found in Israel, it was found in Belgium, it was found in other European countries, why aren’t there bans from those countries? Why just Africa? I think that has to be called out,&#8221; Hostin continued.
&#8220;The big picture is, we have information now and what are we going to do with it?&#8221; Goldberg interrupted, redirecting the conversation.
Cohost Sara Haines went on to note, as <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/prepare-for-the-worst-fauci-says-travel-bans-wont-stop-omicron-too-early-to-say-if-more-lockdowns-are-coming/">Dr. Anthony Fauci</a> said over the weekend, that travel bans were not terribly effective at stopping the spread of the virus, but they could buy scientists time to study whether or not the new variant responded to current vaccines or therapeutics — and could give them the data they needed to make those measures more effective against Omicron and possible future variants.

Help USA Scholarship Awards Luncheon

‘Why Just Africa?’: Sunny Hostin Isn’t Sure Biden’s Travel Ban Is Any Better Than Trump’s

Sunny Hostin

The View

Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy sparred with Press Secretary Jen Psaki during Monday&#8217;s briefing, asking pointed questions about newly implemented travel restrictions and President Joe Biden&#8217;s maskless jaunt to a Nantucket shop over the Thanksgiving holiday.
Doocy first asked about the news that first broke over the weekend that the United States, on Biden&#8217;s instructions, was <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/watch-press-secretary-asked-why-bidens-travel-bans-arent-xenophobic/">halting inbound travel</a> from several African nations following the emergence of the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
DOOCY TIME: &#8220;Before Joe Biden was president, he said that covid travel restrictions on foreign countries were &#8216;hysterical,&#8217; &#8216;xenophobia,&#8217; and &#8216;fearmongering.&#8217; So, what changed?
Psaki demands Doocy &#8220;pull it in full context,&#8221; which was Biden condemning a Trump tweet, not the ban <a href="https://t.co/vqOjVn007c">pic.twitter.com/vqOjVn007c</a>
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) <a href="https://twitter.com/CurtisHouck/status/1465387675700142102?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2021</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Before Joe Biden was president, he said that COVID travel restrictions on foreign countries were &#8216;hysterical,&#8217; &#8216;xenophobia,&#8217; and &#8216;fearmongering.&#8217; So, what changed?&#8221; Doocy asked.
Doocy was not the only one wondering about that, as Twitter exploded over the weekend with conservatives asking nearly identical questions.
GOP Chairwoman <a href="https://twitter.com/GOPChairwoman/status/1464333640473710597">Ronna McDaniel</a> tweeted, &#8220;When Trump imposed travel restrictions, Biden called him &#8216;xenophobic,&#8216;&#8221; and former White House Chief of Staff <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkMeadows/status/1464405510657134603">Mark Meadows</a> tweeted, &#8220;I see restricting travel over COVID is apparently no longer racist and &#8216;xenophobic.&#8217; I wonder what changed.&#8221; 
&#8220;I’m old enough to remember when restricting travel from other nations was racist and xenophobic,&#8221; Congresswoman <a href="https://twitter.com/claudiatenney/status/1464312735420891138">Claudia Tenney</a> added.
Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) asked about it on Monday&#8217;s broadcast of &#8220;Fox &amp; Friends&#8221; as well, sharing video along with the caption, &#8220;Just last year Joe Biden and Kamala Harris called travel bans &#8216;racist&#8217; and &#8216;xenophobic.&#8217; The hypocrisy here is amazing, but typical of this incompetent administration.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Just last year Joe Biden and Kamala Harris called travel bans “racist” and “xenophobic.”
The hypocrisy here is amazing, but typical of this incompetent administration. <a href="https://t.co/nqalT7mVkf">pic.twitter.com/nqalT7mVkf</a>
— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenTomCotton/status/1465333260318392321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Psaki argued that Doocy&#8217;s question did not put Biden&#8217;s criticism in its &#8220;full context,&#8221; arguing that he had meant to condemn Trump&#8217;s tweet about the ban, not the travel ban itself.
Doocy moved on to his second question then, asking about a video of Biden shopping in Nantucket. The video showed the president inside a store without a <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/watch-biden-caught-not-wearing-a-mask-while-in-a-store-with-required-face-covering-sign/">face mask</a> despite a sign on the door advising patrons that masks were required.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Doocy: &#8220;We saw the President shopping indoors on Saturday behind glass that says face coverings acquired, but his face was uncovered. Why?
Psaki: He &#8220;follows the recommendations and the advice of the CDC. I don&#8217;t know what the circumstances were of that particular moment.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/Hl10M7wazs">pic.twitter.com/Hl10M7wazs</a>
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) <a href="https://twitter.com/CurtisHouck/status/1465388014914449413?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2021</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;We saw the President shopping indoors on Saturday behind glass that says face coverings acquired, but his face was uncovered. Why?&#8221; Doocy asked.
Psaki claimed that Biden &#8220;follows the recommendations and the advice of the CDC. I don&#8217;t know what the circumstances were of that particular moment.&#8221;
Doocy pressed again, pointing out the fact that there was a sign that said &#8220;face covering required,&#8221; adding, &#8220;we could see him inside and his face was uncovered.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Doocy: &#8220;He was shopping in a store and on the glass outside, it said &#8216;face covering required&#8217; &amp; we could see him inside and his face was uncovered.&#8221;
Psaki: &#8220;Well, again, Peter, our recommendation and advice continues to be for people to wear masks when they are required&#8230;&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/gDMNPJnxnv">pic.twitter.com/gDMNPJnxnv</a>
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) <a href="https://twitter.com/CurtisHouck/status/1465388475897851906?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2021</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Well, again, Peter, our recommendation and advice continues to be for people to wear masks when they are required,&#8221; Psaki said.
&#8220;Is the concern that when the President says today, &#8216;please wear your mask indoors in public settings around other people,&#8217; and he doesn&#8217;t do that, that it&#8217;s going to make it harder to get people to follow him?&#8221; Doocy continued to press.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Doocy: &#8220;Is the concern that when the President says today, &#8216;please wear your mask indoors in public settings around other people,&#8217; and he doesn&#8217;t do that, that it&#8217;s going to make it harder to get people to follow him?&#8221;
Psaki says Biden wears them &#8220;to save&#8221; other people&#8217;s lives <a href="https://t.co/aZWoxYUftP">pic.twitter.com/aZWoxYUftP</a>
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) <a href="https://twitter.com/CurtisHouck/status/1465389120927240196?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Psaki argued that Biden wore masks in public settings — and would continue to do so — to help save other people&#8217;s lives.
The exchange concluded with a question from Doocy about the return to the &#8220;<a href="https://dailywire.com/news/biden-reinstating-trump-era-remain-in-mexico-immigration-policy-after-court-forces-admin-to-do-so/">Remain in Mexico</a>&#8221; policy, which requires applicants to wait in Mexico for their asylum claims to be processed, and Biden&#8217;s claims that it was antithetical to what America stands for. Psaki said that Biden still felt that way about the policy, but was forced to comply with a recent court ruling.

Biden

Peter Doocy Spars With Jen Psaki Over ‘Xenophobic’ Travel Bans And Biden’s Maskless Shopping Trips

Face Masks

Jen Psaki

Peter Doocy

Former Food and Drug Administration administrator Dr. Scott Gottlieb panned the Biden administration’s decision to impose a travel ban on eight countries in southern Africa amid concerns over a new variant of the COVID-19 virus, calling the move “counterproductive.”
“Of note: The 4 cases of new variant identified in Botswana were incidentally detected in well people tested before air travel, and South African Medical Association chief said &#8211; so far &#8211; symptoms seen are ‘mostly mild symptoms, and we haven’t seen a spike in hospital admissions,’” Gottlieb wrote in a Twitter thread about the new variant Friday.
His tweet was accompanied by screenshots of two news reports explaining that the novel variant allegedly originated in Botswana. The reports noted that there were currently only six cases in the country, and the new variant reportedly came from a person who was immunocompromised due to an HIV infection. The reports also said that there had been a spike in COVID cases, but not in hospitalizations.
“Good world is more organized; taking new variant seriously, with coordinated effort to investigate,” he continued. “It&#8217;s counterproductive in short and long run, however, to impose harsh travel restrictions on affected countries; hurting current containment efforts, discouraging future sharing.”
“There&#8217;s too much we don&#8217;t know to impose economically, socially ruinous policies on SA and other nations. Ready, fire, aim is not prudent public health policy. Vaccine, testing requirements for incoming travelers could be prudent. Outright travel bans can hurt more than help.”
The Biden administration imposed a travel ban on eight countries in southern Africa amid concerns of the new variant, dubbed “Omicron.” The Daily Wire’s Ryan Saavedra <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-implements-travel-restrictions-on-8-nations-amid-new-coronavirus-variant-outbreak">reported</a>:
<blockquote>The travel restrictions will go into effect on Monday, but they will not apply to U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents. The eight nations are South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Malawi.
Biden said that the move came after he was briefed by Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the chief medical advisor to the president.
Fauci had suggested earlier in the day during an interview with CNN that more information was needed before making a decision on whether to ban travel because “you don’t want to say you’re going to do it until you have some scientific reason to do it.”
“That’s the reason why we’re rushing now to get that scientific data to try and make an informed decision about something like that,” Fauci added.
Early testing for the new variant showed that 90% of the cases that were reported on Wednesday came from the South African province that includes Johannesburg.</blockquote>
BioNTech, the company that partnered with American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer to manufacture the first COVID vaccine granted the Emergency Use Authorization, said in a statement that they are currently investigating whether the new variant “could be an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pfizer-moderna-looking-into-escape-variant-vaccines-and-boosters-as-omicron-sparks-concern">escape variant</a> that may require an adjustment of our vaccine if the variant spreads globally.”
“The variant differs significantly from previously observed variants as it has additional mutations located in the spike protein,” a BioNTech spokesperson told Fox News.
Vaccine producer Moderna also noted that it was considering a booster shot specifically for the Omicron variant.
President Biden and Dr. Fauci have both <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-fauci-urge-americans-to-get-vaccinated-as-omicron-concern-grows">urged</a> Americans to get vaccinated in hopes of combatting the spread of the virus.

Airport

Former FDA Head Gottlieb: Biden’s Omicron Travel Ban ‘Counterproductive’

Scott Gottlieb

After almost two years of strict travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Biden administration has announced that vaccinated people from the United Kingdom and the European Union will be permitted to enter the United States from November onwards.
Those traveling to the U.S. will be allowed entry if they are both fully vaccinated and undergo COVID-19 testing and so-called “contact tracing.” They will not be required to quarantine.
This decision comes after months of pressure from European allies. Prime Minister of the U.K., Boris Johnson, celebrated the news, saying he was “delighted.”
“I am delighted that from November, [President Biden] is reinstating transatlantic travel so fully vaccinated UK nationals can visit the USA,” Johnson tweeted. “It’s a fantastic boost for business and trade, and great that family and friends on both sides of the pond can be reunited once again.”
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I am delighted that from November, <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> is reinstating transatlantic travel so fully vaccinated UK nationals can visit the USA.
It’s a fantastic boost for business and trade, and great that family and friends on both sides of the pond can be reunited once again.
🇬🇧🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/qbVccvEdrm">pic.twitter.com/qbVccvEdrm</a>
&mdash; Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/BorisJohnson/status/1439970018477891585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2021</a></blockquote>
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According to the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58628491">BBC</a>, there will be some exceptions to this new policy, such as for children who are not eligible to be vaccinated. 
White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients announced the new rules and did not specify whether only U.S.-approved vaccines would be accepted. He added that the new rules would come into effect in early November, giving agencies and airlines “time to prepare.”
“The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans to issue a contact tracing order requiring airlines to collect information from US-bound travelers, including a phone number and email address, to alert travelers of potential exposure,” <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/20/politics/biden-administration-international-travel-restrictions/index.html?utm_term=link&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_content=2021-09-20T14%3A52%3A09&amp;utm_source=twCNNp">CNN</a> explained. “Airlines will be required to keep contact tracing information for 30 days.”
&#8220;This will enable CDC and state and local public health officials to follow up with inbound travelers and those around them if someone has potentially been exposed to Covid-19 and other pathogens,&#8221; Zients said. He also noted that this tracing requirement would be used more broadly in the future in order to protect &#8220;against any future public health threats.&#8221;
As <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/572994-biden-administration-easing-travel-restrictions-for-vaccinated-foreign">The Hill</a> reported, ​​Zients said the protocols will &#8220;protect Americans here at home, and enhance the safety of the international air travel system.&#8221; He also said that vaccination rates on an international scale made this new policy possible.
&#8220;Today nearly 6 billion shots have been administered globally and dozens of countries have strong vaccination rates. Vaccines continue to show that they&#8217;re highly effective, including against the delta variant,&#8221; Zients said.
&#8220;Today&#8217;s travel announcement is great news for families and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic. We are grateful the US has recognized the progress the UK has made against COVID-19, including high vaccination rates and declining cases. This decision means that more Brits can reunite with loved ones in the United States, more British holidaymakers can spend their hard-earned pounds in the American tourism sector, and more business activity can boost both of our economies,&#8221; said the British ambassador to the U.S., Karen Pierce, in a <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10009319/US-travel-ban-lifted-November.html">statement</a>.

British Airways

U.S. Relaxes COVID-19 Travel Restrictions For Fully Vaccinated Foreign Passengers

European Union

Travel Restrictions

United Kingdom

California is targeting five red states, including Florida, with a ban on state-funded travel to those states as Democrat California Attorney General Rob Bonta said they have passed laws “directly targeting transgender youth.”
Arkansas, Florida, Montana, North Dakota, and West Virginia join 12 other states that California already targeted with a 2016 law, including Alabama, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Texas. That means the leftist state has now banned state-funded travel to more than one-third of the states in the United Stated, a total of 17 states.
&#8220;California must take action to avoid supporting or financing discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people,&#8221; Bonta proclaimed, <a href="https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-add-five-states-travel-restrictions-list-result-wave-new">adding</a>, &#8220;Make no mistake: We’re in the midst of an unprecedented wave of bigotry and discrimination in this country — and the State of California is not going to support it.”
The 2016 California law, <a href="https://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/ab1887/ab-1887-text.pdf?">AB 1887</a>, stated:
<blockquote>This bill would prohibit a state agency and the Legislature from requiring any of its employees, officers or members to travel to, or approving a request for state-funded or state-sponsored travel to, any state that, after June 26, 2015, has enacted a law that voids or repeals, or has the effect of voiding or repealing, existing state or local protections against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression or has enacted a law that authorizes or requires discrimination against same-sex couples or their families or on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression, as specified, subject to certain exceptions. The bill would require the Attorney General to develop, maintain, and post on his or her Internet Web site a current list of states that, after June 26, 2015, have enacted such a law.</blockquote>
In June 2017, then-California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, whose office maintained a list of qualifying discriminatory laws, banned state-funded travel to Texas, saying that Texas&#8217; <a href="http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=85R&amp;Bill=HB3859">House Bill 3859</a> &#8220;allows foster care agencies to discriminate against children in foster care and potentially disqualify LGBT families from the state’s foster and adoption system.&#8221; Becerra <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2017/06/22/citing-religious-refusal-adoption-rule-california-bans-state-travel-te/">pontificated</a>, “While the California DOJ works to protect the rights of all our people, discriminatory laws in any part of our country send all of us several steps back. That&#8217;s why when California said we would not tolerate discrimination against LGBTQ members of our community, we meant it.&#8221;
Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s spokesman John Wittman fired back, &#8220;California may be able to stop their state employees, but they can’t stop all the businesses that are fleeing over taxation and regulation, and relocating to Texas.&#8221;
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton later stated, “Boycotting states based on nothing more than political disagreement breaks down the ability of states to serve as laboratories of democracy while still working together as one nation — the very thing our Constitution intended to prevent.”
“The law has limited exemptions, such as travel necessary to enforce California laws, participate in litigation or protect public health,” <a href="https://www.politico.com/states/california/story/2021/06/28/california-bans-state-funded-travel-to-florida-4-other-red-states-1387264">Politico</a> reported of the California law.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta Interview

Democrat-Run California Targets Florida, 4 Other Red States With Travel Ban

California

Florida

According to reports, numerous countries are banning travel from India in response to soaring COVID-19 infection rates, a rising death count, and the discovery of another COVID-19 variant in the region.
<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-56848006">BBC News</a> reported late on Thursday that “India will be placed onto the UK&#8217;s travel ‘red list’ from 04:00 BST on Friday, effectively banning travel.” This means that legal residents arriving from India must then quarantine in a government-approved hotel.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson called India’s addition to the red list a &#8220;purely precautionary&#8221; step, adding, &#8220;What we&#8217;re seeing in India is a result of a variant under investigation, it hasn&#8217;t yet been deemed a variant of concern — I think that was why there has been the delay.&#8221;
“With a severe spike in COVID-19 cases, countries across the world are putting India on their travel ban list. The US, Australia, Hong Kong, the UK, Pakistan and New Zealand have already released fresh travel advisories for their citizens, asking them to avoid travelling to/from India,” noted <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/coronavirus-outbreak/story/uk-us-pakistan-new-zealand-japan-countries-put-india-on-international-travel-ban-list-as-second-virus-wave-surges-1793378-2021-04-21">India Today</a>.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) <a href="https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/covid-4/coronavirus-india">guidance</a>, “Travelers should avoid all travel to India,” with India ranked as the highest “Level 4.”
On Thursday, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/flight-ban-india-1.5997880">CBC</a> also reported that Canada would ban flights from India and Pakistan for 30 days, according to sources. The United Arab Emirates has also <a href="https://simpleflying.com/emirates-india-flight-suspension/">reportedly</a> suspended flights to India, with Emirates airline suspending all flights from India for 10 days, announcing, “Effective 24 April 2021 and for the next 10 days, Emirates flights from India to the UAE will be suspended. Furthermore, passengers who have transited through India in the last 14 days will not be accepted to travel from any other point to the UAE.”
On Thursday, India broke the world record for most COVID-19 cases recorded in a single day, with fear spreading across the country as a result.
“As the health system breaks down, there are fears that law and order may follow: Oxygen tankers are traveling under police guard to fend off looters. The black market trade in medical equipment has soared,” reported <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2021/04/22/989768074/how-india-went-from-a-ray-of-hope-to-a-world-record-for-most-covid-cases-in-a-da">NPR</a>. “Vaccines were stolen Thursday from a hospital warehouse in Haryana – but then the thief returned them hours later, with a note of apology. Police say the thief may have intended to steal anti-viral drugs, which are also in short supply.”
“People are stockpiling oxygen tanks at home, figuring there&#8217;s no use in even trying to get into a hospital anymore,” NPR continued, adding that “Social media are full of desperate pleas from Indians seeking hospital beds, oxygen, anti-viral drugs, vaccines. One longtime journalist live-tweeted his declining oxygen levels until he died.”
The new variant discovered in India, named B.1.617, has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/19/what-do-we-know-about-the-indian-coronavirus-variant">reportedly</a> “gained ground in the western state of Maharashtra” since December 2020.
According to available COVID-19 <a href="https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/">data</a>, India leads the world in new cases (332,503), new deaths (2,256), and is second in total cases (16,257,309) to the United States (32,653,788).

India COVID

India Breaks World Record For COVID-19 Cases In Day; Countries Rush To Ban Travel

India

On Saturday, President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and other officials on the coronavirus task force held a press conference at the White House. During the briefing, the president took a question pertaining to domestic travel.
“Are you considering other travel restrictions, perhaps domestically?” a reporter asked.
“Yes,” Trump replied.
The reporter followed up by asking the president to elaborate, to which Trump responded: “Specifically from certain areas, yes, we are. And we’re working with the states, and we are considering other restrictions, yes.”
Vice President Pence was also asked about potential domestic travel restrictions.
“You said [on Monday] you’re speaking to all the governors &#8230; are we looking at any sort of domestic travel restrictions that could be coming down the pipeline anytime soon?” a reporter asked.
Pence replied: “With regard to additional travel restrictions, let me just say, as the president said, we’re considering a broad range of measures, but no decisions have been made yet.”
The vice president made sure to add that the administration is “going to continue to follow the facts” and “listen to the experts about recommendations.”
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As of publication, there has been no further word from the White House regarding domestic travel restrictions.
On Wednesday, President Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-trump-announces-new-emergency-action-to-combat-coronavirus">announced</a> a 30-day travel restriction on foreign nationals from numerous European nations, with an exemption for the U.K. On Saturday, the president <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-european-travel-ban-uk-ireland">added</a> the U.K. and Ireland to the list.
When the travel ban was announced, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued the following <a href="https://www.dhs.gov/news/2020/03/11/homeland-security-acting-secretary-chad-f-wolf-s-statement-presidential-proclamation">press release</a> (emphasis added):
<blockquote>Today President Donald J. Trump signed a Presidential Proclamation, which suspends the entry of most foreign nationals who have been in certain European countries at any point during the 14 days prior to their scheduled arrival to the United States. These countries, known as the Schengen Area, include: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. This does not apply to legal permanent residents, (generally) immediate family members of U.S. citizens, and other individuals who are identified in the proclamation.</blockquote>
During Saturday’s press conference, Vice President Mike Pence spoke about the European travel ban, stating in part:
<blockquote>To be clear, countries where we have suspended travel under section 212F, Americans may still return to the the United States, legal residents may still return. They are being screened at some 13 airports as we speak. If they are identified as being symptomatic for any illness, there is additional response on site, but those Americans are being encouraged to return home and self-quarantine for 14 days.</blockquote>
There have been 2,662 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States and 58 deaths, according to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/coronavirus-map-confirmed-cases-2020-n1120686">NBC News</a>, which cites its own reports, as well as data from the “World Health Organization, state government leaders, and health officials.”
Multiple events and destinations across the United States have been <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/12/coronavirus-shutdowns-across-country-127018">delayed or shuttered</a> amid concerns about community spread of the virus.
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/louisiana-gov-postpones-democratic-primaries-due-to-coronavirus-bans-gatherings-of-250-or-more-including-worship-services">Louisiana Gov Postpones Democratic Primaries Due To Coronavirus, Bans ‘Gatherings Of 250 People Or More,’ Including Worship Services</a>

President Trump ‘Considering’ Domestic Travel Restrictions Amid Coronavirus Concerns

Donald Trump

Far-left Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) made false claims about the six new countries that the Trump administration announced on Friday were going to have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-trump-admin-adds-new-travel-restrictions-for-six-countries">new travel restrictions imposed upon them</a>, suggesting that the countries were selected due to &#8220;anti-Muslim hate&#8221; despite the fact the majority of those impacted with the new ban are non-Muslim.
In a statement, the Trump administration said [emphasis added to highlight the newly added countries]:
<blockquote>Today, following the recommendations provided by Members of his Cabinet and his advisors, President Donald J. Trump has issued a proclamation maintaining entry restrictions on certain nationals of Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, Yemen, and Somalia; suspending the overseas issuance of immigrant visas for certain nationals of Burma (Myanmar), Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, and Nigeria; and suspending participation in the “Visa Lottery” for certain nationals of Sudan and Tanzania. The new restrictions will not apply to tourist, business, or other nonimmigrant travel.</blockquote>
Omar, who has a well-documented history of anti-Semitic comments, responded by writing: &#8220;This is a monument to anti-Muslim hate. This president does not believe in freedom of religion. He does not believe in the rule of law. And he does not believe in our Constitution. We will fight this with all we have.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
This is a monument to anti-Muslim hate. 
This president does not believe in freedom of religion. He does not believe in the rule of law. And he does not believe in our Constitution.
We will fight this with all we have. <a href="https://t.co/oT0WD3FcLN">https://t.co/oT0WD3FcLN</a>
&mdash; Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ilhan/status/1223353489750941699?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
However, a review of the six countries added to the list shows that half of them have more Christians than Muslims and that the majority, 53.33%, of those impacted by the ban are non-Muslim, according to <a href="https://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/religious-projection-table/2020/number/all/">estimates</a> from the Pew Research Center on the religious demographics for each country.
<ul>
<li>Eritrea:
<ul>
<li>Christians: 4,230,000</li>
<li>Muslims: 2,460,000</li>
<li>Total population: 6,730,000</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Kyrgyzstan:
<ul>
<li>Christians: 620,000</li>
<li>Muslims: 5,540,000</li>
<li>Total population: 6,190,000</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Burma (Myanmar):
<ul>
<li>Christians: 4,040,000</li>
<li>Muslims: 2,200,000</li>
<li>Buddhists: 41,440,000</li>
<li>Total population: 51,910,000</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Nigeria:
<ul>
<li>Christians: 96,080,000</li>
<li>Muslims: 104,650,000</li>
<li>Total population: 204,690,000</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Sudan:
<ul>
<li>Christians: 2,280,000</li>
<li>Muslims: 38,430,000</li>
<li>Total population: 42,360,000</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Tanzania:
<ul>
<li>Christians: 38,740,000</li>
<li>Muslims: 20,950,000</li>
<li>Total population: 61,440,000</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
This is not the first time that Omar has made false statements about the administration&#8217;s travel ban list, as she has falsely claimed on numerous occasions that the original ban is a &#8220;Muslim ban,&#8221; despite the fact that over 80% of the Muslim-majority nations worldwide are not impacted by the ban.
Acting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Chad Wolf said, “The top responsibility of the President and the Department of Homeland Security is the safety and security of the American people, and these new vetting criteria accomplish that goal and are raising the bar for global security. It is logical and essential to thoroughly screen and vet everyone seeking to travel or immigrate to the United States. However, there are some countries from whom the U.S. does not receive the necessary information about its travelers and, as a result, pose a national security or public safety risk that warrants tailored travel restrictions.”
Wolf continued, “DHS has refined its robust security standards, including enhanced screening and vetting capabilities, that allow us to better identify terrorists and criminals attempting to enter the United States. These screening and vetting capabilities are most effective when foreign governments contribute to our ability to verify a traveler’s identity and assess whether they pose a national security or public safety risk. For a small number of countries that lack either the will or the capability to adhere to these criteria, certain travel restrictions have become necessary to mitigate potential threats. The new, additional restrictions are not blanket restrictions. These tailored restrictions will make the U.S. safer and more secure. And countries that make the necessary improvements will have their restrictions removed accordingly, as was done in 2018.”
In a statement, DHS outlined why the six countries were added to the list:
<blockquote>Burma: Burma has begun to engage with the United States on a variety of identity-management and information-sharing issues, but it does not comply with the established identity-management and information-sharing criteria assessed by the performance metrics.
Suspension of entry for Immigrants, except as Special Immigrants whose eligibility is based on having provided assistance to the U.S. Government.
Eritrea: Eritrea does not comply with the established identity-management and information-sharing criteria assessed by the performance metrics.
Suspension of entry for Immigrants, except as Special Immigrants whose eligibility is based on having provided assistance to the U.S. Government.
Kyrgyzstan: Kyrgyzstan does not comply with the established identity-management and information-sharing criteria assessed by the performance metrics.
Suspension of entry for Immigrants, except as Special Immigrants whose eligibility is based on having provided assistance to the U.S. Government.
Nigeria: Nigeria does not comply with the established identity-management and information-sharing criteria assessed by the performance metrics.
Suspension of entry for Immigrants, except as Special Immigrants whose eligibility is based on having provided assistance to the U.S. Government.
Sudan: Sudan generally does not comply with our identity management performance metrics and presents a high risk, relative to other countries in the world, of terrorist travel to the United States.
Suspension of entry for Diversity Immigrants, as described in section 203(c) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1153(c).
Tanzania: Tanzania does not comply with the established identity-management and information-sharing criteria assessed by the performance metrics.
Suspension of entry for Diversity Immigrants, as described in section 203(c) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1153(c).</blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Today <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> signed a proclamation issuing tailored travel restrictions on 6 countries that currently fail to meet the minimum US security standards set by this Administration. Through this action, we are raising the baseline of security around the world. <a href="https://t.co/lrlXZDvqB2">https://t.co/lrlXZDvqB2</a>
&mdash; Acting Secretary Chad Wolf (@DHS_Wolf) <a href="https://twitter.com/DHS_Wolf/status/1223375563328577549?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Ilhan Omar

Omar Makes False Claims About New Countries Added To Travel Ban List

Fake News

Illegal Immigration

Immigration

Muslim Immigration

As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-considering-dramatic-expansion-of-terrorist-nations-added-to-travel-ban-list">previewed weeks ago</a> and as has also been rumored for much of this current week, the Trump administration on Friday imposed travel restrictions on six new countries.
&#8220;President Donald Trump is expected to reveal an expansion of his controversial travel ban on Friday, the same day he could be acquitted in his impeachment trial and just days ahead of the president’s annual State of the Union address,&#8221; Politico <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/30/trump-travel-ban-expansion-109659">reported</a> yesterday. &#8220;The expected announcement — confirmed by two people familiar with the matter — had initially been planned for this past Monday to coincide with the three-year anniversary of the original order, which restricted travel from several majority-Muslim nations.&#8221;
On Friday afternoon, The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-administration-imposes-new-travel-restrictions-on-six-countries-11580500874?emailToken=ee9c4d96fd7222587f6a95ea5366a1faJTb2EUg+d0M9bUrQCrIOQzQ91WSepUbYHQgY9Wk%2F8tABR%2F6914m7UCcOGLZysxL+RosZfgYd3Lb8J2OSgyyjyduSEnQYimX%2FldifLfWwadKmtNJ7tcwwfsnO5mS8469GWPrBhircuAoxdsFvkggkYQ%3D%3D&amp;reflink=article_whatsapp_share&amp;fbclid=IwAR03FzpEH7xWpUAx8Zyh0wkm5hGE__rlQ_gQW9NIAzsU5wuLbIvKnm8_tAc">confirmed the news</a>. The six new countries to have various types of travel restrictions imposed upon them are Nigeria, Eritrea, Myanmar, Kyrgyzstan, Sudan, and Tanzania.
&#8220;Citizens from Nigeria, Eritrea, Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan won’t be allowed to apply for visas to immigrate to the U.S. under the policy, which the Trump administration said was designed to tighten security for countries that don’t comply with the U.S. minimum security standards or cooperate to prevent illegal immigration,&#8221; the Journal reports. &#8220;Two other countries, Sudan and Tanzania, will be barred from participating in the diversity visa lottery, which randomly awards green cards to 50,000 immigrants from underrepresented countries annually. Many of the recipients are from African countries.&#8221;
Specifically, Nigeria, Eritrea, Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan will have the issuance suspended of all visas that might lead to permanent residency, according to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-ban/trump-to-expand-travel-ban-to-six-additional-countries-u-s-official-idUSKBN1ZU2WD">Reuters</a>.
Overall, &#8220;[t]he six countries [added today] will join a list of seven nations, most of them Muslim-majority, that faced significant travel restrictions under President Trump’s original travel ban, issued in 2017,&#8221; the Journal continues. Those original seven nations were Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, Venezuela, and North Korea.
That original travel ban was ultimately upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in the attention-grabbing 2018 case of <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/17pdf/17-965_h315.pdf">Trump v. Hawaii</a>.
&#8220;By its plain language, [8 U.S.C.] §1182(f) grants the president broad discretion to suspend the entry of aliens into the United States,&#8221; Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for a bare 5–4 Court majority. &#8220;The president lawfully exercised that discretion based on his findings — following a worldwide, multi-agency review — that entry of the covered aliens would be detrimental to the national interest. And plaintiffs’ attempts to identify a conflict with other provisions in the [Immigration and Nationality Act], and their appeal to the statute’s purposes and legislative history, fail to overcome the clear statutory language.&#8221;
The addition of countries with Trump administration-imposed travel restrictions placed upon them surely has a political element, and can likely be viewed as an attempt by the president to help shore up his base in the lead-up to November&#8217;s election. But the primary rationale seems to be a more emotionally detached attempt to buttress homeland security.
“These countries for the most part want to be helpful, want to do the right thing,” said Chad Wolf, acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, according to the Journal. “But for a variety of reasons, they failed to meet those requirements we laid out.”

Passport on the desk of an American businessman

BREAKING: Trump Admin Adds New Travel Restrictions For Six Countries

Department of Homeland Security

Immigrants

John Roberts

Judicial Branch

Judiciary

Lawsuit

Supreme Court

President Donald Trump is reportedly considering ramping up the number of countries that are on the travel ban list, which targets countries that have strong ties to terrorism.
The Associated Press spoke to several people in the Trump administration who reportedly said that the expanded travel ban list was &#8220;timed to coincide with the third anniversary of Trump’s January 2017 executive order&#8221; and reportedly included up to seven new countries.
&#8220;The countries on the proposed expansion list include allies that fall short on certain security measures,&#8221; The AP <a href="https://apnews.com/753968e412fab06e6fb8180e7ac98d47">added</a>. &#8220;The additional restrictions were proposed by Department of Homeland Security officials following a review of security protocols and &#8216;identity management&#8217; for about 200 countries, according to the person.&#8221;
White House House spokesman Hogan Gidley did not confirm the plan, but did praise the current version of the travel ban.
“The Travel Ban has been very successful in protecting our Country and raising the security baseline around the world,” Gidley said in a statement to the AP. “While there are no new announcements at this time, common-sense and national security both dictate that if a country wants to fully participate in U.S. immigration programs, they should also comply with all security and counter-terrorism measures – because we do not want to import terrorism or any other national security threat into the United States.”
The most current travel ban list includes: Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen, as well as Venezuela and North Korea.
Democrats and the media have falsely claimed that the Trump administration&#8217;s travel ban was a &#8220;Muslim ban,&#8221; despite the fact that two of the countries on the list – Venezuela and North Korea – have little to no people of Islamic faith in their countries.
The AP seemingly tried to frame their report in a way that further promoted those false claims by noting that a &#8220;majority&#8221; of the new countries that would be added to the list were &#8220;Muslim&#8221; countries.
The reason that the claim is dishonest is because there are 50 Muslim-majority countries in the world and only banning five Muslim-majority countries means that 90% of Muslim-majority countries are not banned.
When the overwhelming majority of Muslim-majority countries are not banned, and the ones that are have extreme ties to terrorism, it becomes impossible to claim that the countries were added to the travel ban list because they were Muslim countries.
The White House <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/presidential-proclamation-enhancing-vetting-capabilities-processes-detecting-attempted-entry-united-states-terrorists-public-safety-threats/">released</a> the following information about the countries that were on the travel ban list:
Sec. 2. Suspension of Entry for Nationals of Countries of Identified Concern. The entry into the United States of nationals of the following countries is hereby suspended and limited, as follows, subject to categorical exceptions and case by-case waivers, as described in sections 3 and 6 of this proclamation:
<ul>
<li>Iran.
<ul>
<li>(i) Iran regularly fails to cooperate with the United States Government in identifying security risks, fails to satisfy at least one key risk criterion, is the source of significant terrorist threats, and fails to receive its nationals subject to final orders of removal from the United States. The Department of State has also designated Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism.</li>
<li>(ii) The entry into the United States of nationals of Iran as immigrants and as nonimmigrants is hereby suspended, except that entry by such nationals under valid student (F and M) and exchange visitor (J) visas is not suspended, although such individuals should be subject to enhanced screening and vetting requirements.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Libya.
<ul>
<li>(i) The government of Libya is an important and valuable counterterrorism partner of the United States, and the United States Government looks forward to expanding on that cooperation, including in the areas of immigration and border management. Libya, nonetheless, faces significant challenges in sharing several types of information, including public-safety and terrorism-related information necessary for the protection of the national security and public safety of the United States. Libya also has significant inadequacies in its identity-management protocols. Further, Libya fails to satisfy at least one key risk criterion and has been assessed to be not fully cooperative with respect to receiving its nationals subject to final orders of removal from the United States. The substantial terrorist presence within Libya’s territory amplifies the risks posed by the entry into the United States of its nationals.</li>
<li>(ii) The entry into the United States of nationals of Libya, as immigrants, and as nonimmigrants on business (B-1), tourist (B-2), and business/tourist (B-1/B-2) visas, is hereby suspended.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>North Korea.
<ul>
<li>(i) North Korea does not cooperate with the United States Government in any respect and fails to satisfy all information-sharing requirements.</li>
<li>(ii) The entry into the United States of nationals of North Korea as immigrants and nonimmigrants is hereby suspended.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Syria.
<ul>
<li>(i) Syria regularly fails to cooperate with the United States Government in identifying security risks, is the source of significant terrorist threats, and has been designated by the Department of State as a state sponsor of terrorism. Syria has significant inadequacies in identity-management protocols, fails to share public-safety and terrorism information, and fails to satisfy at least one key risk criterion.</li>
<li>(ii) The entry into the United States of nationals of Syria as immigrants and nonimmigrants is hereby suspended.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Venezuela.
<ul>
<li>(i) Venezuela has adopted many of the baseline standards identified by the Secretary of Homeland Security and in section 1 of this proclamation, but its government is uncooperative in verifying whether its citizens pose national security or public-safety threats. Venezuela’s government fails to share public-safety and terrorism-related information adequately, fails to satisfy at least one key risk criterion, and has been assessed to be not fully cooperative with respect to receiving its nationals subject to final orders of removal from the United States. There are, however, alternative sources for obtaining information to verify the citizenship and identity of nationals from Venezuela. As a result, the restrictions imposed by this proclamation focus on government officials of Venezuela who are responsible for the identified inadequacies.</li>
<li>(ii) Notwithstanding section 3(b)(v) of this proclamation, the entry into the United States of officials of government agencies of Venezuela involved in screening and vetting procedures — including the Ministry of the Popular Power for Interior, Justice and Peace; the Administrative Service of Identification, Migration and Immigration; the Scientific, Penal and Criminal Investigation Service Corps; the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service; and the Ministry of the Popular Power for Foreign Relations — and their immediate family members, as nonimmigrants on business (B-1), tourist (B-2), and business/tourist (B-1/B-2) visas, is hereby suspended. Further, nationals of Venezuela who are visa holders should be subject to appropriate additional measures to ensure traveler information remains current.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Yemen.
<ul>
<li>(i) The government of Yemen is an important and valuable counterterrorism partner, and the United States Government looks forward to expanding that cooperation, including in the areas of immigration and border management. Yemen, nonetheless, faces significant identity-management challenges, which are amplified by the notable terrorist presence within its territory. The government of Yemen fails to satisfy critical identity-management requirements, does not share public-safety and terrorism-related information adequately, and fails to satisfy at least one key risk criterion.</li>
<li>(ii) The entry into the United States of nationals of Yemen as immigrants, and as nonimmigrants on business (B-1), tourist (B-2), and business/tourist (B-1/B-2) visas, is hereby suspended.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Somalia.
<ul>
<li>(i) The Secretary of Homeland Security’s report of September 15, 2017, determined that Somalia satisfies the information-sharing requirements of the baseline described in section 1(c) of this proclamation. But several other considerations support imposing entry restrictions and limitations on Somalia. Somalia has significant identity-management deficiencies. For example, while Somalia issues an electronic passport, the United States and many other countries do not recognize it. A persistent terrorist threat also emanates from Somalia’s territory. The United States Government has identified Somalia as a terrorist safe haven. Somalia stands apart from other countries in the degree to which its government lacks command and control of its territory, which greatly limits the effectiveness of its national capabilities in a variety of respects. Terrorists use under-governed areas in northern, central, and southern Somalia as safe havens from which to plan, facilitate, and conduct their operations. Somalia also remains a destination for individuals attempting to join terrorist groups that threaten the national security of the United States. The State Department’s 2016 Country Reports on Terrorism observed that Somalia has not sufficiently degraded the ability of terrorist groups to plan and mount attacks from its territory. Further, despite having made significant progress toward formally federating its member states, and its willingness to fight terrorism, Somalia continues to struggle to provide the governance needed to limit terrorists’ freedom of movement, access to resources, and capacity to operate. The government of Somalia’s lack of territorial control also compromises Somalia’s ability, already limited because of poor recordkeeping, to share information about its nationals who pose criminal or terrorist risks. As a result of these and other factors, Somalia presents special concerns that distinguish it from other countries.</li>
<li>(ii) The entry into the United States of nationals of Somalia as immigrants is hereby suspended. Additionally, visa adjudications for nationals of Somalia and decisions regarding their entry as nonimmigrants should be subject to additional scrutiny to determine if applicants are connected to terrorist organizations or otherwise pose a threat to the national security or public safety of the United States.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>

President Trump

Trump Considering Dramatic Expansion Of Nations Added To Travel Ban List

On Friday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) sent out a tweet condemning President Trump&#8217;s alleged &#8220;Muslim ban.&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Daily reminder that we have a **Muslim Ban** in this country made out of the President&#8217;s hostility to Muslim people w/ little-to-no supporting evidence, and a Republican Party that tolerates it.
There is so much work to do. Repealing the Ban is square 1.<a href="https://t.co/dqrCsedMrt">https://t.co/dqrCsedMrt</a>
&#8212; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) <a href="https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1106584578687406081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
<blockquote>
Daily reminder that we have a **Muslim Ban** in this country made out of the President&#8217;s hostility to Muslim people w/ little-to-no supporting evidence, and a Republican Party that tolerates it. There is so much work to do. Repealing the Ban is square 1.
</blockquote>
In her tweet, Ocasio-Cortez linked to an article from the Brennan Center, a left-leaning public policy institute, titled &#8220;The Fight Against Trump&#8217;s Muslim Ban Isn&#8217;t Over.&#8221;
Here&#8217;s the problem: the &#8220;Muslim ban&#8221; isn&#8217;t quite what Ocasio-Cortez and the president&#8217;s critics claim it is.
Let&#8217;s start with some recent history. In December 2015, former President Obama <a href="https://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/statements/2017/feb/07/reince-priebus/were-7-nations-identified-donald-trumps-travel-ban/">signed</a> legislation that would restrict travel for individuals from certain countries. The &#8220;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/2029/text/pl">Restriction On Use Of Visa Wavier Program For Aliens Who Travel To Certain Countries</a>&#8221; legislation was part of a larger appropriations bill.
The pertinent <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/8/1187">text</a>, which amended 8 U.S. Code 1187, reads in part (citations omitted):
<blockquote>
(i) the alien has not been present, at any time on or after March 1, 2011&#8212; (I) in Iraq or Syria; (II) in a country that is designated by the Secretary of State &#8230; or any other provision of law, as a country, the government of which has repeatedly provided support of acts of international terrorism; or (III) in any other country or area of concern.
</blockquote>
In 2016, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) <a href="https://www.dhs.gov/news/2016/02/18/dhs-announces-further-travel-restrictions-visa-waiver-program">added</a> Libya, Somalia, and Yemen to the list of &#8220;countries of concern.&#8221; The updated list of countries from which travelers could not use the Visa Wavier Program was as follows: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.
In January 2017, the Trump administration <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2017/01/28/politics/text-of-trump-executive-order-nation-ban-refugees/index.html">issued</a> a 90-day travel ban on individuals from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. The ban was almost immediately <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2017/02/10/us/trump-travel-ban-timeline/index.html">halted</a> by a district court judge. Shortly thereafter, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2017/02/10/us/trump-travel-ban-timeline/index.html">blocked</a> the ban, reports CNN.
In March 2017, the president issued an updated version, which left Iraq off the list. The updated ban was again <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2017/02/10/us/trump-travel-ban-timeline/index.html">blocked</a> by a district court judge.
In September 2017, the administration <a href="https://www.politico.com/interactives/2017/trump-travel-ban-country-list-map/">issued</a> another updated ban, adding the counties of Chad, North Korea, and Venezuela to the list, while removing Sudan and Iraq. Additionally, the ban was made indefinite.
At the time, <a href="https://www.politico.com/interactives/2017/trump-travel-ban-country-list-map/">Politico</a> wrote: &#8220;Under the new system, existing visa holders, dual citizens and people already legally admitted to the U.S. are exempt. Waivers will be granted on a case-by-case basis, though exemptions appear to be narrowed under the new directive.&#8221;
In June 2018, the Supreme Court <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/26/supreme-court-upholds-trumps-travel-ban-673181">ruled</a> in a 5-4 decision to uphold the travel ban, which had by that time removed Chad from the list.
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that &#8220;the text says nothing about religion,&#8221; <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/26/supreme-court-upholds-trumps-travel-ban-673181">adding</a>:
<blockquote>
The Proclamation is expressly premised on legitimate purposes: preventing entry of nationals who cannot be adequately vetted and inducing other nations to improve their practices.
</blockquote>
One can certainly doubt the personal motivations of the president, but from a legal standpoint, the travel ban has been ruled viable. Moreover, if it were a &#8220;Muslim ban,&#8221; as Rep. Ocasio-Cortez claims, one has to ask why majority-Muslim nations such as Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Guinea, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Morocco, Pakistan, and a number of others were left off the list.
As to Ocasio-Cortez&#8217;s claim that there is &#8220;little-to-no supporting evidence&#8221; for the travel ban, the Trump administration has provided a list of reasons as to why certain nations are on the list.
According to a September 2017 White House <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/presidential-proclamation-enhancing-vetting-capabilities-processes-detecting-attempted-entry-united-states-terrorists-public-safety-threats/">proclamation</a>:
<blockquote>
&#8230;the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Attorney General, has determined that a small number of countries &#8212; out of nearly 200 evaluated &#8212; remain deficient at this time with respect to their identity-management and information-sharing capabilities, protocols, and practices. In some cases, these countries also have a significant terrorist presence within their territory.
</blockquote>
The press release details the reasons behind each nation&#8217;s ban. For example, despite Yemen being &#8220;an important and valuable counterterrorism partner,&#8221; it &#8220;faces significant identity-management challenges, which are amplified by the notable terrorist presence within its territory. The government of Yemen fails to satisfy critical identity-management requirements, does not share public-safety and terrorism-related information adequately, and fails to satisfy at least one key risk criterion,&#8221; according to the White House.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Inaccurately Calls Trump’s Travel Ban A ‘Muslim Ban’

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Democratic Party

Muslim Ban

Trump Administration

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