Trump administration demands action from 36 countries to avoid travel ban

The Trump administration has given 36 countries, most of them in Africa, a Wednesday deadline to commit to improve vetting of travelers or face a ban on their citizens visiting the United States.

A weekend diplomatic cable sent by the State Department instructs embassies and consulates in the 36 countries to gauge their host countries’ willingness by Wednesday to improve their citizens’ travel documentation and take steps to address the status of their nationals who are in the United States illegally.

The cable, which was described to The Associated Press, asks the countries to take action to address the U.S. concerns within 60 days or risk being added to the current travel ban, which now includes 12 nations. Of the 36 new countries targeted, 25 are in Africa.

State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce declined to comment on the specifics in the cable, which was first reported by The Washington Post. She confirmed that the administration wanted nations to improve their own vetting processes for passport holders, accept their nationals deported from the U.S. and take other steps to ensure their citizens are not a threat to the U.S.

It was not immediately clear if the ban would be imposed on countries that commit to making improvements and are making progress in addressing them but fail to meet the benchmarks within 60 days.

The list includes some countries that have been traditional U.S. partners, including Egypt and Djibouti, both of which have military relationships with United States, and others that long been friendly with the U.S., including Liberia, Nigeria and Ethiopia. Syria, which was left off the initial travel ban, as was Congo, are both on the new list.