US Plans to Expand President Trump’s Travel Ban

United States President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that officials plan to add more countries to the controversial travel ban list.

According to Reuters.com, Trump made the announcement during a news conference at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, saying, “We have to be safe. Our country has to be safe. You see what’s going on in the world. Our country has to be safe.”

While Trump didn’t announce specific countries that would be added, a source told Reuters the travel ban list will now include Belarus, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sudan and Tanzania.

The source also told Reuters the new restrictions are expected to be announced Monday.

Officials working with the Trump administration said the decision to add several new countries to its ban list was a result of the nations failing to comply with security requirements, including biometrics, information-sharing and counter-terrorism measures.

The current ban on immigrant and non-immigrant visas includes nations such as Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen. Chad was previously on the list, but made the necessary changes and was removed in April 2018.

A report from The Associated Press earlier this month first suggested that Trump was considering an expansion of the much-litigated travel ban.