Trump's travel ban on 12 nations begins early Monday
What's the story
United States President Donald Trump has imposed a travel ban on citizens of 12 countries, effective from 12:01am ET (9:31am IST) on Monday. The affected nations are Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Partial restrictions will also be imposed on seven other countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
Justification
Justifying the travel ban
President Trump has justified the travel ban by citing a "large-scale presence of terrorists" in these countries. He also pointed to poor cooperation on visa security, inability to verify travelers' identities, inadequate criminal history record-keeping, and high rates of visa overstays in the US. The decision was also influenced by a recent incident in Boulder, Colorado, involving an Egyptian national.
Reciprocal measure
Chad announces reciprocal measure
In response to the travel ban, Chad's President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno has announced a reciprocal measure. He said his government would stop granting visas to US citizens. "Chad has neither planes to offer nor billions of dollars to give, but Chad has its dignity and its pride," he said in a Facebook post.
Asylum concerns
Concerns of Afghan workers; US lawmakers criticize policy
The travel ban has raised fears among Afghans who worked with US-funded projects. They are worried about returning to Afghanistan due to possible reprisals from the Taliban. Democratic lawmakers in the US have also criticized the policy as harsh and unconstitutional. US Representative Ro Khanna called it "draconian and unconstitutional," adding that "People have a right to seek asylum."