US State Department denies existence of ‘Visa Ban List’ amid reports of travel restrictions

Tammy Bruce the official spokesperson of the US State Department, refuted claims about a proposed ‘visa ban list,’ stating that no such list exists within the department. "Well, first of all, there is no list," Bruce said while addressing reporters at a press conference on Monday evening.

What people are looking at over these last several days is not a list that exists here that is being acted on, there is a review,” added Bruce.  

Calling the claims as ‘inaccurate’, the spokesperson added that through President Donald Trump’s executive order, for everyone to look at the nature of what is going to keep help America safer and dealing with the issue of visas and who is allowed into the country, however, what has been touted as something that is an item through the State Department just simply is not the case.  

Her statement comes in response to a recent New York Times report, which cited anonymous official sources claiming that the United States has proposed visa restrictions targeting 43 countries.  

The list shared by the New York Times categorizes countries into three zones-red, orange and yellow. According to the report, several Caribbean nations—including Dominica, Saint Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, and St. Kitts and Nevis—have been categorized under a "yellow list" which could subject them to heightened scrutiny or potential travel limitations if security concerns are not addressed in a 60-day period. 

However, soon after the article made rounds on social media, Prime Ministers of these countries reported that they had not received any official or unofficial intimations from the US State Department regarding the restrictions. 

Caribbean leaders including Prime Minister of Dominica Dr Roosevelt Skerrit, St Kitts and Nevis PM Dr Terrance Drew voiced their concerns, emphasizing their countries’ longstanding diplomatic ties with the United States. They have also called for further clarification from the US Embassy in Barbados whether any new visa policies will be implemented. 

The New York Times article sparked widespread concern, particularly among governments in the Caribbean, Africa, and the Middle East region, where officials said that they are closely monitoring all the developments surrounding this issue.  

Dominican Prime Minister Dr Skerrit also addressed the nation twice on Monday during which he confirmed that there has been no official word from the US Department of State regarding the development. He further assured the citizens that Dominica is open to engaging with the United States and is giving this matter the highest priority.  

Initially, the development which went viral over the weekend, caused a major outrage across the Caribbean nations with the governments maintaining that they have good ties with the USA, and they have not received any formal communication regarding the same.

The locals were also taking to social media to express their frustration and concerns regarding the potential US visa restrictions. However, the recent statement by the US spokesperson refutes this claim by the New York Times and gives a sigh of relief to all the nationals of the countries mentioned on that so called ‘travel ban’ list.