This Travel Ban Is as Pointless as the Last One
A sweeping ban on tourism from the world’s poorest countries will not make America safer and will have almost zero impact on illegal immigration.
Only some are welcome.
Photographer: Adam Gray/Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump has resurrected the travel ban from his first term. This time, it’s more expansive and better designed to withstand a judicial challenge. But it’s still a solution in search of a problem — and likely to cause massive disruption for US residents with friends and family overseas.
The ban went into effect at the nation’s airports on Monday, affecting 19 countries. Aside from a few narrow exceptions, travel from a dozen nations will be blocked: Afghanistan, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Another seven face partial restrictions: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.