New travel ban adds North Korea, Venezuela

The Trump administration unveiled new restrictions on travel to the United States from eight countries, including North Korea and Venezuela, after its ban on visitors from six Muslim-majority countries expired Sunday.

The new restrictions take effect Oct. 18 and apply to foreign nationals from countries the administration says have refused to share information on terrorism, among other issues, with the U.S. government.

It also applies to nations that haven’t taken necessary security precautions, administration officials said.

The expiring ban bars citizens of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen who lack a “credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States” from entering the U.S.

The new order drops Sudan from the list and adds three new countries: Chad, North Korea and Venezuela.

The expiring ban blocked entry into the United States for 90 days and locked out most aspiring refugees for 120 days to give the administration time to conduct a worldwide review of U.S. vetting procedures for foreign visitors.

A few federal courts have blocked the ban, but the Supreme Court allowed it to take effect in June with some restrictions.

The Supreme Court will hear arguments on Oct. 10 on whether the current ban discriminates against Muslims in violation of the Constitution, as lower courts previously ruled.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump cryptically replied in response to a question about the ban: “The travel ban: the tougher, the better.”