International travelers arrive at Dulles in DC. Reuters.
In a news story that is getting buried on an unreasonably busy news day on a Sunday, Donald Trump has renewed the travel ban and has added three new countries to the list. That the travel bans on Syria, Iran, Libya, Yemen and Somalia continued is not surprising, but it is somewhat surprising that North Korea, Venezuela and Chad ended up on the list as well. Though Iraq has not been included in the ban, visitors from the country will have more extreme vetting.
It's not surprising that most of those countries are on the list. ISIS and Al-Qaeda are still very active in Syria, Libya, Yemen and Somalia. Iran is still a threat due to their nuclear program and their support for terrorism. It's not surprising at all that they haven't been taken off the list. Giving extra vetting for Iraq makes sense as well since they are both a critical ally and one of the few countries that still has large numbers of ISIS fighters.
Adding North Korea seems like a no-brainer as well. Tensions with the country are very high and it's pretty much impossible to vet anyone from the country since they don't talk to us at all. And given the high level of tensions it's very possible that North Korea could use immigration as an opportunity to infiltrate commandos and terrorists. Plus, North Korea doesn't allow tourism for their citizens anyways so there is no chance of this ban hurting anyone.
As for Venezuela, it makes sense as well. The country is in chaos and there is a very good chance that the government will collapse. We don't want anyone in that government coming to our country and escaping justice when the government eventually falls. Trump is also getting in front of a possible refugee crisis that will happen when, not if, the government falls.
The one I can't figure out is Chad. Chad isn't really a country you think of when you think of terrorism. They are a Muslim country but they don't really export terrorism. I do know that Boko Haram is very active in Chad's border region and that they have used the country as a refuge. Boko Haram is affiliated with ISIS and is one of the most brutal terror groups around, but they don't really export terrorism. That being said, I am fine with them not being allowed in the country.
Either way, due to the timing of this news, I doubt this story will get as much coverage as the original travel ban. Adding North Korea and Venezuela also helps the argument that the travel ban was never about discriminating against Muslims. I think people will realize that fighting the ban will be unpopular now and the story will likely die and get overshadowed by culture war stuff.
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