
U.S. President Donald Trump is replacing his travel ban with a targeted list of restrictions that will enhance vetting for nationals from eight countries, senior administration officials announced Sunday, according to The Hill.
The eight countries on the modified list of countries are Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen.
The officials explained that these states failed to comply with the U.S. information sharing requirements that aims to make vetting processes stronger.
Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen and Somalia were part of the president's initial travel ban. Restrictions on Sudan have been lifted.
An additional four other countries have now been added to the list of states that do not meet the new American vetting requirements: Iraq, North Korea, Chad and Venezuela.
The officials maintained that the restrictions are based on an objective worldwide review, not based on origin or religion.
The newest order will take effect on October 18. The lifted restrictions on Sudan went into effect with the completion of the president's signature on the directive.
Though Iraq is not part of the list of targeted nations, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that Iraqi nationals should "be subject to additional scrutiny to determine if they pose risks to the national security or public safety of the United States", according to The Hill.
The White House consulted with officials from the DHS, the State Department, the Department of Justice, and other government agencies to enact the new security measures.
The announcement came on the same day that Trump’s 90-day ban on visitors from six Muslim-majority nations was set to expire.
Two weeks ago, the U.S. Supreme Court granted a request by the Trump administration to continue to bar most refugees under its travel ban.
The court in its ruling blocked a federal appeals court ruling that would have exempted refugees who have a contractual commitment from resettlement organizations from the travel ban while the justices consider its legality.
The order is temporary, until proper vetting procedures – a central campaign promise of Trump’s – can be implemented.