Donald Trump considers restrictions instead of travel ban

The US President gets recommendations from Homeland Security; criteria for entry may include information shared with US

President Donald Trump is weighing replacing his ban on travellers entering the US from six predominantly Muslim nations with a set of more specific and tailored restrictions based, in part, on how much information countries share with the US.

The Department of Homeland Security has sent Trump recommendations for entry restrictions and additional visa requirements based on shortcomings in the information each country shares with the US and an assessment of the risk of terrorist infiltration the nation poses, administration officials told reporters. The changes could be put in place as soon as this weekend, with a new proclamation from Trump, officials said.

“The acting secretary has recommended actions that are tough and that are tailored, including travel restrictions and enhanced screening for certain countries,” said Miles Taylor, a counsellor to acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke.

Taylor and other officials on a conference call for reporters declined to say what countries would be affected or even whether it would be fewer or more than the six cited in the president’s original travel ban. They said the decisions would be left to the White House.

Taylor said the Homeland Security Department concentrated in its assessment on factors such as terrorist and criminal history information each country shares with the US, the security of passports issued and how well each country established identity of passport-holders. The US notified all countries in July of “baseline” standards they would need to meet to avoid travel restrictions.

While some countries were unable or unwilling to meet the guidelines, most provided the necessary information to meet the baseline, Taylor said. The State Department made clear to countries that they could face penalties if they did not provide the necessary information, he said. The State Department will issue guidance to consular offices next week with information about how to implement the new restrictions, said Carl Risch, assistant secretary for consular affairs at the State Department.