(Reuters) – Leaders from across the Caribbean are seeking clarity after a draft of a U.S. government list of over 40 countries which could face sweeping travel restrictions was made public, a move which could mark the latest in President Donald Trump’s crackdown on migration.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce disavowed the list on Monday, but stipulated “there is a review through the president’s executive order for us to look at the nature of what’s going on to keep America safer and dealing with the issue of visas and who’s allowed into the country.”
President Trump’s administration has vowed mass deportations of migrants in the U.S. illegally. Half of the countries on the list in circulation are African, while seven more are located around the Caribbean.
The small island nations of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Saint Lucia were also listed in the draft for partial travel suspensions if their respective governments do not address unspecified “deficiencies” within 60 days.
Leaders from those nations have responded saying they have received no communication from the United States on the potential ban, nor on concerns raised about their governance.
In a Saturday letter seen by Reuters, Antigua and Barbuda’s embassy in Washington expressed its “deep concern” and requested the U.S. clarify the potential travel bans and “details of any ‘deficiencies’ perceived by agencies of the United States so that they may be promptly discussed and remedied.”
“A review is not a ban,” its ambassador to the United States, Ronald Sanders, told Reuters. “A review can lead to satisfaction as much as anything else.”
Dominica’s prime minister said he was making the necessary enquiries, while Saint Kitts and Nevis said it “has maintained consistent and open dialogue” with the U.S. and would provide updates should it receive any official communication.
According to the list, Haiti – which is facing a devastating gang conflict that has forced over 1 million from their homes and which the U.N. has warned is being fueled by guns shipped from Florida – would be subject to partial suspensions, including for students and tourists.
The U.S. government last month decided to speed up the expiration of deportation protections and work permits for 521,000 Haitians covered by a temporary program by some six months.
Meanwhile, Cuba and Venezuela would face a complete visa suspension. Both leftist-run countries have tense relations with the Trump administration and are facing deep economic crises that have caused many to seek migration to the United States.
The Cuban, Venezuelan and Haitian governments did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
(Reporting by Zahra Burton in Kingston, Harold Isaac in Port-au-Prince, Marc Frank in Havana, Julia Symmes Cobb in Bogota and Sarah Morland in Mexico City; Editing by Nick Zieminski)
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