A travel ban to the United States is now in place, and foreign nationals from twelve countries cannot enter after President Donald Trump and his administration determined it reflected the best interest of the nation. Citizens of seven other countries will face escalated travel restrictions.
The announcement Wednesday said bans reflect the interests of the United States and will help the country detect foreign nationals who may pose a safety threat.
While the full travel ban mostly affects countries in Africa and the Middle East, Haiti was added to the list of countries. The Trump administration cited visa overstay, the establishment of criminal networks and national security risks as justification for including the island country in its proclamation.
But more than 500,000 Haitians live in Florida – the most of any state in the country – and a group of local lawmakers are convinced the ban will separate more families than it will protect American citizens.
“Let’s be clear that this travel ban does nothing to make us safer,” said Democrat state Rep. Anna Eskamani. “What it does do is tear families apart, block students and professionals from opportunities, disrupts our economy and targets people based on where they come from, not who they are.”
Last federal fiscal year, Florida accepted 69,961 Haitian entrants – Haitian nationals who enter the United States and are granted parole upon entry, apply for asylum or are in removal proceedings.
Eskamani, an Iranian American, said former policy has kept her from seeing family. Iran is included in the new full travel ban.
She and other state lawmakers, including Democrat state Reps. Marie Woodson and Johanna Lopez, called for an immigration reform.
The ten other countries under a full travel ban are: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
The ban will not revoke visas from any of the countries that were issued prior to Monday. Exceptions to the bans exist, such as for athletes and lawful permanent residents, but the stipulation is narrow.
Under a partial ban are: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
A Supreme Court ruling in May allowed the Trump administration to remove the Temporary Protected Status of 350,000 Venezuelans nationwide. Now, a partial travel ban adds another monumental roadblock for those who seek to migrate to the United States.
Wednesday’s proclamation said the country lacked a "competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents.” President Trump has in the past condemned and made calls to action against Tren De Aragua, a criminal organization formed in Venezuela.
Orange County Democratic Party chair Samuel Vilchez Santiago fled the Nicolas Maduro regime when he was 13, and he said the administration’s actions could signal to other Venezuela families who look to leave the country that they are not welcomed in the United States.
“The consequences are immediate, personal and profound. This state is powered by people – people who came here to work, to study, to reunite with family,” he said.
The University of Central Florida listed Venezuela as one its top-five countries represented within its global student population.
The countries in question with “identified inadequacies” must address the administration’s concerns or continue to face the travel bans.
