Pakistan likely to face travel curbs by Trump admin if govt doesn't address 'deficiencies'

WASHINGTON: Pakistan has been included in a group that would be considered for partial suspension of visa issuance if their governments “do not make efforts to address deficiencies within 60 days” as part of new ban by Donald Trump’s administration.

The Trump administration is considering issuing sweeping travel restrictions for the citizens of dozens of countries, according to sources familiar with the matter and an internal memo seen by Reuters.

The memo lists a total of 41 countries divided into three separate groups. The first group of 10 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Cuba and North Korea among others, would be set for a full visa suspension.

In the second group, five countries — Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar and South Sudan — would face partial suspensions that would impact tourist and student visas as well as other immigrant visas, with some exceptions.

In the third group, a total of 26 countries that includes Belarus, Pakistan and Turkmenistan among others would be considered for a partial suspension of US visa issuance if their governments “do not make efforts to address deficiencies within 60 days”, the memo said.

A US official speaking on the condition of anonymity cautioned there could be changes on the list and that it was yet to be approved by the administration, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The New York Times first reported on the list of countries.

The move harkens back to President Donald Trump’s first term ban on travellers from seven majority-Muslim nations, a policy that went through several iterations before it was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.

Trump issued an executive order on January 20 requiring intensified security vetting of any foreigners seeking admission to the US to detect national security threats.

That order directed several cabinet members to submit by March 21 a list of countries from which travel should be partly or fully suspended because their “vetting and screening information is so deficient.”

Trump’s directive is part of an immigration crackdown that he launched at the start of his second term. He previewed his plan in an October 2023 speech, pledging to restrict people from the Gaza Strip, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and “anywhere else that threatens our security.”

The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.

Earlier, the New York Times reported Friday that US President Donald Trump’s administration is mulling a new travel ban that would affect citizens from dozens of countries including Pakistan to varying degrees.

Citing anonymous officials, it said the draft list featured 43 countries, divided into three categories of travel restrictions.

The red category of countries, whose citizens would be completely barred from entering the United States, includes Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen.

Another 10 countries in the orange category -- Belarus, Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, Russia, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Turkmenistan -- would see their visas sharply restricted. “In those cases, affluent business travellers might be allowed to enter, but not people traveling on immigrant or tourist visas,” the newspaper said.

Citizens from countries on the orange list would also have to undergo in-person interviews to receive a visa.

Another 22 countries on a yellow list would have 60 days to address US concerns or risk being moved up to one of the more stringent categories. “The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive internal deliberations, cautioned that the list had been developed by the State Department several weeks ago, and that changes were likely by the time it reached the White House,” the New York Times said.

As one of his first acts in office, Trump froze the United States’ refugee admission programme and almost all foreign aid.

Trump ordered the US government to identify countries whose nationals should be banned from entering on security grounds, a move akin to the so-called ‘Muslim ban’ of his first term.

That ban -- which in 2017 targeted citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen -- ignited international outrage and lead to domestic court rulings against it. Iraq and Sudan were dropped from the list, but in 2018 the Supreme Court upheld a later version of the ban for the other nations -- as well as North Korea and Venezuela.

Separately, US Vice President JD Vance stated that holding a green card did not grant an indefinite right to stay in the US and that the administration had the discretion to deport permanent residents.

His comments come as President Donald Trump promotes the ‘Trump Gold Card’, a proposed investor visa programme allowing foreigners to obtain US citizenship by investing US$5 million.

Indians account for the second-largest immigrant community in the US, with several thousand holding green cards.

Vance’s remarks were in response to discussions about the potential deportation of a Columbia University student over pro-Palestinian activism. He said that such decisions reflect whom the American public wishes to include in the national community.

“For a green card holder, even if I might like that green card holder, he does not have an indefinite right to be in the United States of America,” Vance said in an interview with Fox News. A green card grants lawful permanent residence and allows holders to live and work permanently in the US, provided they do not commit any actions that violate immigration law.

Vance further asserted that American citizens have different rights compared to green card holders and student visa holders.

“My attitude on this is that it is not fundamentally about free speech. To me, yes, it is about national security, but more importantly, it is about who we, as the American public, decide to allow to join the national community,” he said. He stressed that if the US president or the secretary of state decides that a person should not be in the country, “they have no legal right to stay here. It is as simple as that.”

When asked about the possibility of more deportations similar to that of Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil, Vance said the US would certainly see some people getting deported if authorities determine that it is not in the country’s best interest to allow them to stay.

“I don’t know how high that number is going to be, but you are going to see more people,” he said.

Khalil was arrested on Saturday and is currently in the custody of immigration authorities as the Donald Trump administration begins fulfilling its campaign promise to deport foreign-born activists who participated in last year’s wave of pro-Palestinian protests on US college campuses.

According to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), green card holders have specific rights and responsibilities while residing in the United States. They have the right to live permanently in the country as long as they do not commit any deportable offenses. They can work in any legal job, except for certain positions restricted to US citizens due to security concerns. Additionally, they are protected by all US laws, including federal, state, and local regulations.

However, green card holders must also fulfil several responsibilities. They are required to obey all US laws at the federal, state, and local levels and must file income tax returns, reporting their earnings to the IRS and state tax authorities. While they cannot vote in elections, they are expected to support the democratic government. Furthermore, males aged 18-25 must register for Selective Service, which entails potential military service if required.

Meanwhile, Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif said on Saturday that the federal government was making efforts to avoid potential US travel restrictions on Pakistan, terming the Trump administration’s expected move “inappropriate”.

“[The] government has raised the issue...it will be resolved within a week or ten days,” the defence minister said while speaking to Geo News.