AshaElmiThe Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has warned that the Trump administration is close to announcing a new travel ban that could impact several Muslim-majority countries, including Somalia.
On Thursday, CAIR urged legal immigrants in the U.S. to avoid international travel this month due to concerns that the administration may introduce new travel restrictions targeting specific countries.
"Due to the possibility that the Trump administration may announce a new travel ban affecting Muslim-majority nations, we strongly advise permanent residents, international students, workers, patients, refugees, and tourists from potentially targeted countries to avoid leaving the U.S. for the next 30 days unless absolutely necessary," said Robert S. McCaw, CAIR’s Director of Government Affairs.
Countries at Risk
While CAIR has not confirmed whether the Trump administration will issue a new travel ban, reports suggest that the U.S. government is considering banning citizens from Afghanistan and Pakistan from entering the country in the coming weeks.
The organization has urged immigrants from Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Palestine/Gaza, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen to refrain from international travel until the situation is clarified.
"We strongly advise immigrants from the affected countries to postpone all international travel until the Trump administration officially announces or abandons its potential new ban," McCaw added.
CAIR has also called on the Trump administration to reconsider any broad travel restrictions targeting Muslim-majority nations, arguing that such policies are discriminatory and politically motivated rather than being based on national security concerns.
