Liberia is among 36 countries the Trump Administration is reportedly considering for new travel restrictions that could limit their citizens’ entry into the United States.
According to an internal memo reviewed by The Washington Post, governments of the listed nations have been given 60 days to meet newly established benchmarks and requirements set by the U.S. State Department.
The memo, as reported by The Washington Post, outlines a range of benchmarks that the Trump Administration claims these countries are currently failing to meet.
Some countries, it notes, lack a competent or cooperative central government capable of producing reliable identity or civil documents, while others are plagued by widespread government fraud. Additionally, some nations have high numbers of citizens who have overstayed their U.S. visas, contributing to the administration’s concerns.
The countries listed include: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Ethiopia, Egypt, Gabon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, and Nigeria.
Also named are: Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
In Liberia, the U.S. Embassy has expressed concerns over the number of Liberians who travel to the U.S. and overstay their visas — a factor contributing to the country’s high visa rejection rate.
This development could reinforce a growing sentiment among some Liberians that the country receives little tangible benefit from its long-standing relationship with the United States, especially when compared to other nations on the continent, despite the often-highlighted “traditional ties” between the two countries.
According to The Washington Post, the latest list marks a significant expansion of a presidential proclamation issued on June 4, which imposed full entry restrictions on individuals from several other countries.
Democrats and other critics of the Trump Administration have described these travel bans as xenophobic and discriminatory. They cite the administration’s earlier efforts to block travel from Muslim-majority nations and note the disproportionate number of African and Caribbean countries targeted in the latest directive.
While the travel ban was rescinded under the Biden Administration, Trump repeatedly pledged to reinstate it on the campaign trail, stating it would be “bigger than before.”
The developments come at the time of heightened tension of mass deportation of undocumented foreign citizens in the US – a flagship agenda of the Trump administration.
President Trump was unequivocal during the elections about getting rid of undocumented migrants in the US, whom he accused of being responsible for bulk of the crimes in US states.
According to reports, there are about five thousand Liberians living in the US, some of whom still undergoing the documentation process with the hope of legitimizing their status.
Mark Neywon Mengonfia
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