Trump Expands US Travel Ban, Adding 20 More Countries To List

US President Donald Trump has expanded the country's travel ban once again, adding 20 new countries to the list.

In June, Trump announced a full travel ban on 12 countries: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen– citizens of these countries would not be allowed into the United States.

Additionally, people from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela would receive some travel restrictions due to certain situations taking place in their home countries.

However, now, Trump has expanded that list to contain over 20 additional countries, and he has downgraded partial restrictions to become a full travel ban in some cases.

The announcement states that Laos, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria will be added to the full travel ban list, downgrading Laos and Sierra Leone from partial-restriction status. Another key addition to the list was the Palestinian Authority– Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank will no longer be allowed into the US.

Meanwhile, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe will now receive partial restrictions, meaning that citizens who attempt to immigrate to the US could be rejected based on their situation.

Trump confirmed that the decisions were made based on several factors, ranging from violence or war in the countries to the rate of immigrants overstaying their visas.

The move comes after a deadly shooting by an Afghan man in Washington DC, killing two members of the National Guard who had been on patrol. However, Trump's travel ban has drawn criticism from certain groups and opposition parties, who claim that he is discriminating against other races under the cover of national security.

Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): Captive tigers in the US alone outnumber the amount of wild tigers worldwide.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or objects. (Albert Einstein)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Conversant (noun, kun-VER-sunt) - Conversant, usually used in the phrase "conversant with," describes someone who has knowledge of or experience with something.

In a Sentence: The ideal candidate for the sommelier position will have expert knowledge of the various wines served in the restaurant and be conversant with the rich world of viniculture.

Image credit to AP