According to reports, the Trump administration is preparing to restart and expand a travel ban policy against certain countries that had been implemented during his first administration. Officials said the travel bans would likely include the same countries that were on the list the first time—Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen—and that Afghanistan and Pakistan could be added, along with possibly others.
It is unclear whether the travel ban will include highly vetted Afghans already cleared for U.S. resettlement on Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) or as refugees due to their working with the United States during the war with the Taliban. The Department of State’s Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts recommended an exemption for SIV-holders “but it’s not assumed likely to be granted,” according to one source. That office has been ordered to close. “Shutting this down would be a national disgrace, a betrayal of our Afghan allies, of the veterans who fought for them, and of America’s word,” said Shawn VanDiver, founder of #AfghanEvac. Meanwhile, Afghan evacuation and resettlement efforts have been paused.