DONALD Trump is set to expand his travel ban on people from a number of countries from entering the US, the Department of Homeland Security has said.
Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem, revealed there would be changes to the original ban signed by the President in June.
The sweeping action over the summer barred travel to the US from nationals of 12 countries and restricted the access of those from seven others.
It came in the wake of the suspected terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, where an Egyptian national used fire bombs to attack pro-Israel protesters.
“I must act to protect the national security and national interest of the United States and its people,” Trump said at time.
“We will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm.”
The expansion of the ban, which she said will soon include over 30 countries, comes after an Afghan national was arrested for the shooting of two National Guardsmen.
Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died after she was shot twice while on patrol near the Farragut West Metro Station in Northwest Washington DC on Thanksgiving Eve.
Fellow guardsman Andrew Wolfe, 24, was critically wounded after the suspected terror attack.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, who was part of the Afghan army in a force that worked with the US, was arrested and has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and assault charges.
While speaking to Fox News’ Laura Ingraham, Noem did not give any additional details about the ban expansion, saying that the President is still considering which countries will be added.
“I won’t be specific on the number, but it’s over 30. And the president is continuing to evaluate countries,” she said.
“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?”
Since the horror shooting last month, restrictions on the 19 countries in the original ban has been increased.
Changes include a block on asylum decisions, a pause on visas for Afghan nationals who assisted the US in the war effort, and cutting the amount of time work permits for refugees and asylum applicants are valid for.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services is cracking down on vetting by forcing certain people to have to more regularly re-apply for visas.
Current US travel ban list:
Full ban:
- Afghanistan
- Myanmar
- Chad
- Republic of Congo
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Haiti
- Iran
- Libya
- Somalia
- Sudan
- Yemen
Partial restrictions:
- Burundi
- Cuba
- Laos
- Sierra Leone
- Togo
- Turkmenistan
- Venezuela
Earlier this week, Noem launched an attack on all dangerous migrants, proposing a “full travel ban on every damn country that’s been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies”.
“Our forefathers built this nation on blood, sweat, and the unyielding love of freedom — not for foreign invaders to slaughter our heroes, suck dry our hard-earned tax dollars, or snatch the benefits owed to AMERICANS,” the DHS chief raged.
“WE DON’T WANT THEM. NOT ONE.”
The countries to be added to the ban list will be announced “soon”, a DHS spokesperson said.
