Trump expands US travel ban to include Syria, Palestine

US adds 5 Arab and African countries to question prohibition database arsenic right-wing politicians intensify Islamophobic rhetoric.

United States President Donald Trump has added 5 countries to the database of nations whose citizens are banned from entering the US, including Palestine and Syria.

The White House announced the enlargement of the prohibition connected Tuesday, arsenic it intensifies its crackdown connected immigration.

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Tuesday’s bid imposed a question prohibition connected six caller countries – Palestine, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria – successful summation to the 12 initially made nationalist successful June.

The decree did not notation to Palestine, which Washington does not recognise arsenic a state, by sanction oregon adjacent arsenic the occupied Palestinian territory.

Instead, it describes the Palestine class arsenic “Palestinian Authority Documents” and refers to Palestinians arsenic “individuals attempting to question connected PA-issued oregon endorsed question documents”.

The determination comes weeks aft Trump declared a “permanent pause” connected migration from what helium called “all Third World Countries” successful effect to the shooting of 2 National Guard troops successful Washington, DC.

“Several US-designated violent groups run actively successful the West Bank oregon Gaza Strip and person murdered American citizens. Also, the caller warfare successful these areas apt resulted successful compromised vetting and screening abilities,” the White House said.

“In airy of these factors, and considering the anemic oregon nonexistent power exercised implicit these areas by the PA, individuals attempting to question connected PA-issued oregon endorsed question documents cannot presently beryllium decently vetted and approved for introduction into the United States.”

The determination to prohibition Palestinians from entering the US comes arsenic Israel continues its regular deadly attacks successful Gaza and the occupied West Bank, wherever Israeli settlers person killed astatine slightest two US citizens this year.

Meanwhile, the prohibition connected Syrians coincides with rapprochement betwixt Washington and Damascus aft Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited the White House successful November.

“While the state is moving to code its information challenges successful adjacent coordination with the United States, Syria inactive lacks an capable cardinal authorization for issuing passports oregon civilian documents and does not person due screening and vetting measures,” the White House said.

On Thursday, US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard cited the wide shooting that killed 15 radical astatine a Jewish festival successful Australia to laud Trump’s migration restrictions.

“Islamists and Islamism is the top menace to the freedom, security, and prosperity of the United States and the full world. It is astir apt excessively precocious for Europe – and possibly Australia,” she wrote connected X.

“It is not excessively precocious for the United States of America. But it soon volition be. Thankfully, President Trump has prioritized securing our borders and deporting known and suspected terrorists, and stopping mass, unvetted migration that puts Americans astatine risk.”

Trump’s Republican allies person been progressively utilizing Islamophobic rhetoric, and calling for Muslims to beryllium blocked from entering the country.

On Sunday, Senator Tommy Tuberville called Islam a “cult”, baselessly accusing Muslims of aiming to “conquer” the West.

“Stop worrying astir offending the pearl clutchers,” helium wrote successful a societal media post. “We’ve got to SEND THEM HOME NOW oregon we’ll go the United Caliphate of America.”

When Trump archetypal ran for president successful 2015, helium called for a implicit prohibition connected Muslims entering the US, and erstwhile helium started his archetypal term, helium imposed a question prohibition connected respective Muslim-majority countries.