Don signs new new travel ban

Now NoKo, Chad, Venez restricted, too

President Trump issued a new travel ban on Sunday evening to restrict visitors and immigrants from eight countries with “inadequate” vetting procedures.

The new executive order covers travelers from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen — but unlike an earlier ban it will also restrict those from Chad, North Korea and Venezuela.

The restrictions range from full travel bans on nationals from countries like Syria to more targeted restrictions.

Also unlike the earlier ban, the new measure will remove restrictions on travelers from Sudan.

“These restrictions are both vital to national security and conditions based,” a senior administration official said of the new travel ban on Sunday.

The announcement came on the same day that Trump’s earlier temporary ban on visitors from six Muslim-majority countries was set to expire.

The new travel restrictions will take effect at 12:01 a.m. on Oct. 18. Guidelines will be sent to embassies and consulates instructing them how to implement the new proclamation.

The Supreme Court had already issued guidelines for the previous travel ban that said people with a “bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the Unites States” should be allowed in.

Anyone who currently holds a valid visa will not see their travel documents revoked, senior Trump administration officials said Sunday.

This year, the Trump administration conducted a worldwide review of immigration and travel procedures as part of its initial travel bans to ensure national security. It concluded that several countries don’t meet standards for information-sharing and screening to ensure visitors to the United States don’t pose a threat.

All of those countries, except Iraq, are swept into the new travel ban. Iraq won’t be subject to the ban because of its unique counterterrorism relationship with the United States.

Trump’s initial travel ban has been subject to a Supreme Court challenge and nationwide protests. He has stood firm on the need for extreme vetting.

Asked Sunday about the new travel restrictions, Trump said, “The travel ban — the tougher, the better.”