Kristi Noem, the secretary of homeland security for the United States, has demanded a broad “full travel ban” on all countries that she says are bringing hazardous migrants to the country.
Noem explained her suggestion as a reaction to a recent shooting in Washington, D.C., which officials said was carried out by an immigrant who had previously been granted entry into the US, in a statement released following a meeting with President Donald Trump. She claimed that certain immigrants are “killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies” and that the United States should bar them from entering.
Noem’s statement did not specify which nations would be subject to the prohibition or how it would be implemented. A list of the impacted countries will be released shortly, according to Department of Homeland Security officials.
The demand coincides with other recent immigration measures taken by the administration, such as a review of green card holders from countries considered to be of concern and a halt on asylum judgments for migrants from a number of countries. Legal challenges are anticipated if the proposed travel ban is implemented.