Trump adds Chad to renewed travel ban
By
Eddie Haywood
30 September 2017
Trump’s Sunday announcement of a new indefinite travel ban includes the African nation of Chad, a country that has given full support to Washington’s imperialist wars conducted against several African nations for over a decade. The limitations on travel from Chad to the US go into effect on October 18.
Taking to Twitter late Sunday, Trump expressed the ban’s reactionary nationalist character: “Making America Safe is my number one priority. We will not admit those into our country we cannot safely vet.”
As an explanation for Chad’s addition to the list, Trump’s proclamation states, “Chad does not adequately share public-safety and terrorism-related information and fails to satisfy at least one key risk criterion.”
The list of countries to be restricted include Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen and Somalia, which were part of the initial ban, with the addition of North Korea, Venezuela, and Chad. Without explanation, Sudan was dropped from the list.
Significant is the fact that of the countries on the list, with the exception of Chad, all are either targets of the US for regime change or are currently undergoing US bombardment. In the case of Chad, the African nation has served a subservient role to Washington’s predatory aims on the continent.
The addition of two “non-Muslim” countries, North Korea and Venezuela, owe to the Trump administration’s attempt to scrub the xenophobic tinge that characterized the original and to ensure the measure’s resistance to court challenges.
The initial travel ban was announced a few days after Trump was inaugurated, and its implementation was blocked by a federal court as unconstitutional; a revised travel ban was also blocked in the lower courts…