President Donald Trump has announced widespread bans and restrictions for visitors from 19 countries while simultaneously issuing a chilling warning that Egypt could be next.
Nationals of Afghanistan, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen will be barred from entering the United States under the new order, which goes into effect on June 9.
Citizens of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela will be partially restricted from traveling, removing access to all immigrant visas and several non-immigrant travel options.
Trump also issued a warning that Egypt could soon join the no-fly list in the wake of the Colorado terror attack in which an Egyptian national who overstayed his visa allegedly set fire to pro-Israel demonstrators.
‘We don’t want ’em,’ Trump said bluntly in a video released shortly after the ban was announced.
‘Very simply, we cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen.’
Mohamed Soliman, the Egyptian national suspect charged with firebombing pro-Israel demonstrators, was residing in the US illegally with his wife and five children.
The president has directed several of his top national security chiefs to investigate whether Egypt should also be added to the list of restricted nations.