"Orange" category

Trump wants to ban Russians from entering the USA

(Bild: cristian gutu stock.adobe)

The Trump administration intends to tighten the entry regulations for 43 countries entering the United States. This plan is also likely to hit Russians and Belarusians hard.

The 78-year-old Republican's government is known to have launched a large-scale fight against illegal migration. As leaked to the New York Times, the US State Department is now likely to have drawn up a recommendation in which 43 countries are divided into three categories - red, orange and yellow.

The red category includes eleven countries whose citizens should be strictly prohibited from entering the USA. These are Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen.

Washington only wants "wealthy business travelers" from Russia
Ten states were classified as "orange". For them, this means that only "wealthy business travelers" are allowed to stay in the United States - but they must undergo a personal interview before being granted a visa. Immigration or tourist visas will no longer be available for them, it is said. This group includes Russia, Belarus, Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Turkmenistan.

(Bild: Inna Dodor - stock.adobe.com)

There is also a "yellow" list, which includes 22 countries. They have been given a time window of 60 days to rectify the shortcomings that are causing Washington concern. Otherwise they would be assigned to the red or orange category.

Will valid visas be canceled?
According to the New York Times, it is unclear whether the restrictions will also apply to those who already have a valid visa. It is also uncertain whether the new regulations will affect green card holders who have already been granted legal permanent residence in the United States. As the newspaper wrote, citing unnamed government officials, the list was drawn up several weeks ago by the US State Department. The White House is therefore likely to make changes.

Blanket entry ban in Trump's first term in office
In his first term in office from 2017 to 2021, Trump imposed an entry ban on people from predominantly Muslim countries. The decree, which originally affected Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Syria, was blocked several times by the US judiciary. Iraq and Sudan were quickly removed from the list. However, a final version, which also included North Korea and Venezuela, was finally approved by the Supreme Court.