Trump travel ban delayed indefinitely

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration’s plan to bar entry into the United States from foreign nationals whose countries do not meet its vetting standards has been indefinitely postponed, with no new date set.

The State Department said Monday it is continuing to work on the report that would serve as the basis for the anticipated visa restrictions but could not say when it would be ready. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office requesting recommendations on what new visa restrictions should be applied to which countries by March 21, reported USA Today newspaper.

Trump gave his administration 60 days to submit a report “identifying countries throughout the world for which vetting and screening information is so deficient as to warrant a partial or full suspension on the admission of nationals from those countries.”

A list of more than 40 nations, including Iran, Russia and Venezuela, were reportedly under consideration for full or partially restricted travel to the U.S. as part of the mandate, which built on a travel ban Trump enacted during his first term and the Supreme Court upheld.

But the due date for an official list to be submitted came and went without an announcement from the White House, and the State Department’s top spokesperson declared the deadline no longer in effect.

Trump plans to visit Saudi Arabia in mid-May

State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said at a briefing on Monday that a new date for the recommendations had not been set. She called the original deadline, which was set by Trump’s executive order, a “target date that no longer applies” without offering an explanation.

“The State Department like every department in President Trump’s administration are acting on executive orders, including this one,” Bruce said.

It was not immediately clear why the administration postponed the report that would lay the groundwork for Trump to enact a new travel ban and impose visa restrictions on foreign nationals from select countries.

“I can’t speak to that. But I can tell you that we’re working on what the executive order asked for,” Bruce said, describing them as “restrictions on other countries” of “whether or not they meet the standard of security and vetting that’s required for entry into the United States” rather than a travel ban.

Asked to clarify if a new date had been set, she said “no,” before adding, “Again, because there’s not a date, it doesn’t mean that it’s not being worked on. And so we are all working to implement what President Trump has ordered.”

The White House declined to provide a comment.