Latest news with #SpeciallyDesignatedGlobalTerrorist
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'We were friends of the US': Fearful Afghans face Trump travel ban
Ahmad has been hiding in Afghanistan for years. The former Afghan military employee is living in fear of being found by the Taliban, which seized power in 2021 as US forces withdrew from the Central Asian nation. As a result, Ahmad is unable to get a job or access medical care, relying on donations from friends outside the country to survive. His son, 12, is unable to go to school. If they are found, Ahmad says, the Taliban "will remove" him. His hope had been refugee resettlement in the US, but - with just a medical check to complete - the process was put on pause by the Trump administration. Still, he hoped. Then, on Thursday he woke to the news that US President Donald Trump had issued a new order banning the entry of Afghan passport holders to the US, citing national security threats. "I am not a threat to the United States," Ahmad told the BBC. The BBC is not using his real name because of concerns about his safety. "We were friends of the United States," he added. Why are these 12 countries on the list? How nations have responded Everything else we know about the ban - so far Trump's new ban dodges pitfalls from last time, experts say Chad halts US visas in revenge for Trump travel ban Trump's sweeping travel ban came into force on Monday, blocking people from Afghanistan and 11 other countries, including seven from Africa, as well as countries like Haiti and Yemen, from entering the US. There are partial bans on seven other countries. According to the ban, Afghanistan was included because the Taliban are considered by the US government to be a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) group, and the country does not have "a competent or co-operative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents", or "appropriate screening and vetting measures". It also notes a relatively high rate of people overstaying their visas. The Trump administration has, however, recently dropped temporary protected status for more than 9,000 Afghans living in the US, arguing its assessments showed the security and economic situation in Afghanistan had improved. But those living in Afghanistan are faced with a series of restrictions brought in by the Taliban government in line with its strict interpretation of Sharia law. The ones affecting women - including the enforcement of head coverings, restrictions on travel and education over the age of 12 - amount to a "gender apartheid", according to the United Nations. The Taliban says it respects the rights of women in line with Sharia and Afghan culture. A different UN report from 2023 found there were credible reports that hundreds of former government officials and armed forces members had been killed since the group returned to power in 2021, despite a general amnesty. The Taliban has previously said all Afghans could "live in the country without any fear" - and those abroad should come back and help rebuild the country. "There is a general amnesty," Mohammad Suhail Shaheen, Taliban ambassador to Qatar, told the BBC earlier this year. "Countrywide security is prevalent in Afghanistan. Every citizen and traveller can travel to any corner of the country without any obstacles or any difficulties." There are exceptions to Trump's ban - including for Afghans who worked directly with the US military before the Taliban back took control of the country in 2021. But Ahmad, whose application for resettlement was backed by a former US service member, does not qualify for a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) because he did not work directly for the US. And he is far from the only one. Trump to end protected status for Afghans Some 200,000 Afghans have been resettled since the US military's chaotic withdrawal, but there are still tens of thousands more waiting for a decision. Many have fled across the border to neighbouring Pakistan to wait for a decision to be made on their application. Samira, who spoke to the BBC's Afghan Service, is currently in Pakistan - which has been expelling tens of thousands of Afghans in recent months. If the path to the US is closed to her, she is not sure what to do next. "Returning to Afghanistan is not an option for us - it would be incredibly challenging," she said. "Our children have already lost years of education, and we have no hope of safely going back." More than 8,300 family members of US citizens are ready for an interview in Afghanistan, with more than 11,400 others awaiting family reunification, according to US Department of State data shared by AfghanEvac. Mojo, who asked to be identified by his nickname, is one of the 200,000 Afghans who have already reached the US, because he worked directly for the US military. He is now a US citizen. His sister, however, remains in Afghanistan where she and her husband are "living in a hide and seek game", he says. They change their address and city every couple months in order to stay safe. They passed the background and medical checks for refugee resettlement, but like the others who spoke to the BBC, they became trapped when the process was paused in January. This latest order has made Mojo, who lives in Houston, Texas, and the rest of his family lose "all our hope completely" . "I wish that he would change his mind, make some exception, change the rules or take his order back and let people have a peaceful life," he said. Pakistan expels tens of thousands of Afghans Afghans hiding in Pakistan live in fear of forced deportation Ex-US generals describe chaos of Afghanistan withdrawal The ban also affects Afghans who are not trying to reach the US for resettlement. Zarifa Ghafari is studying at Cornell University in New York state, but is currently in Germany for the summer with her young child. She said she began a "frantic" race back to the US on Thursday in order to continue her studies, before the start of the travel ban on Monday. The ban has put her under "immense pressure" and has made her feel "very vulnerable", the the 30-year-old former politician told the BBC. What makes it worse, she said, was that she regularly had to return to Germany every few months to maintain her residency status there too. Describing her situation as "precarious", she said she worried about how she could make her regular trips to Germany when the travel ban began. Shawn VanDiver, of AfghanEvac, said the ban broke a promise Americans had made to Afghans over the 20 years they were in the country. "This policy punishes people who escaped the Taliban, risked everything to support democracy, are already vetted, were told by the US government to wait," he wrote on social media platform X. "They're not threats. They're our allies - and they're being left behind." Meanwhile, many of those still in Afghanistan have other problems to contend with. As one Afghan man in Kabul told AFP news agency: "We don't even have bread, why are you asking me about travelling to America?" Additional reporting by Azadeh Moshiri and Gabriela Pomeroy
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Why are these 12 countries on Trump's travel-ban list?
A travel ban issued on Wednesday by US President Donald Trump is set to primarily affect countries in Africa and the Middle East. Twelve countries face full bans, which will come into force on Monday. People from a further seven nations are facing partial restrictions. Trump has depicted it as a matter of national security. He cited a recent attack on members of Colorado's Jewish community, which was allegedly carried out by an Egyptian national. Egypt itself is not on the banned list. Other reasons cited include alleged breaking of US visa rules by people from the countries in question. Here is a closer look at some of the president's reasoning. A range of accusations have been made against Afghanistan in a presidential proclamation signed by Trump. The document highlights that the Taliban, which controls the country, is a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) group. The move comes just weeks after the Trump administration appeared to signal that it believed the situation had improved in Afghanistan, when it announced the end of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghans living in the US. Afghanistan is further accused by Trump of lacking a "competent or co-operative" central authority for issuing passports or civil documents. As with other countries on Trump's list, the issue of Afghan nationals overstaying their visas is also cited. Trump's travel ban: Follow live updates BBC Verify Live: Fact-checking Trump's reasoning Everything we know about the ban so far Trump suspends foreign student visas at Harvard Trump's proclamation identifies Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism - a longstanding charge that the Middle Eastern nation has previously rejected. The US has previously censured Tehran, Iran's capital, for its alleged sponsorship of proxy groups operating in the region, such as Hamas and Hezbollah. The new proclamation from Trump says the country is "the source of significant terrorism around the world", does not co-operate with the US on security risks and has "historically failed to accept back its removable nationals". The move comes amid diplomatic wrangling between the two sides over the creation of a new deal over Iran's nuclear weapon-building capabilities. Similar reasons are given in the case of Somalia. The east African country is branded by Trump as a "terrorist safe haven". Like Iran, it is also accused of failing to accept its nationals when removed from the US. However, a further point was made by Trump: "Somalia stands apart from other countries in the degree to which its government lacks command and control of its territory, which greatly limits the effectiveness of its national capabilities in a variety of respects." Somalia's internationally-based government faces a significant challenge from armed Islamists. It has pledged to "engage in dialogue to address the concerns raised" by Trump. Libya, in north Africa, is cited for its "historical terrorist presence", which is painted as a security threat to Americans. Libya and Somalia are also among the countries on Trump's list which have been criticised for their perceived incompetence at issuing passports. The document highlights that "hundreds of thousands of illegal Haitian aliens flooded into the United States during the Biden Administration". Trump points to various perceived risks that this has entailed - including the creation of "criminal networks" and high visa overstay rates. Data from the US Census Bureau suggested more than 852,000 Haitians were living in the US in February 2024, though it does not give a breakdown of when those migrants arrived. Many came after a devastating earthquake in 2010, or after fleeing gang violence that took hold in the Caribbean nation. The US president also points to a lack of central authority in Haiti for matters including law enforcement. These countries are solely accused by Trump of having relatively high visa overstay rates. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defines an "overstay" as a person who remains in the US beyond their authorised period of admission, with no evidence of any extension. The "rate" signals the proportion of people who overstayed. The central African nation Chad is singled out for showing a "a blatant disregard for United States immigration laws". The document highlights an overstay rate of 49.54% by Chadians on business or tourist visas in 2023, citing a DHS report. Congo-Brazzaville and Equatorial Guinea have equivalent rates of 29.63% and 21.98% respectively. But these rates are lower than Laos, which faces a lesser restriction. Myanmar - referred to as Burma in the Trump proclamation - is similarly accused of a high visa overstay rates. As with others on the list, including Iran, the country is further accused of not co-operating with the US to accept deported Burmese nationals. For each of these countries, the first allegation made by Trump is that they have questionable competence at issuing passports and civil documents. Eritrea and Sudan are further accused of having relatively high visa overstay rates. Eritrea is also blamed for failing to make the criminal records of its national available to the US, and of refusing to accept deported nationals. As with Somalia, Yemen is also accused of lacking control over its own land. Trump's proclamation highlights that it is the site of active US military operations. The US has been combating Houthis, who have seized much of the north and west of the country during an ongoing civil war. People from seven other nations face partial restrictions: Venezuela is accused of lacking a "competent or co-operative" central authority for issuing passports and similar documents. Allegations of visa overstays and a refusal to accept deportees are again mentioned. In response, the South American country has described the Trump administration as "supremacists who think they own the world" Cuba is labelled as another "state sponsor of terrorism" - a designation that was made by the US in 2021, and condemned by Havana. An alleged refusal to accept deportees is also mentioned, as are visa overstays Visa overstays are again presented as the key issue in the cases of Burundi, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo and Turkmenistan
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Why were these 12 countries on Trump's travel-ban list?
A travel ban issued on Wednesday by US President Donald Trump is set to primarily affect countries in Africa and the Middle East. Twelve countries face full bans, which will come into force on Monday. People from a further seven nations are facing partial restrictions. Trump has depicted it as a matter of national security. He cited a recent attack on members of Colorado's Jewish community, which was allegedly carried out by an Egyptian national. Egypt itself is not on the banned list. Other reasons cited include alleged breaking of US visa rules by people from the countries in question. Here is a closer look at some of the president's reasoning. A range of accusations have been made against Afghanistan in a presidential proclamation signed by Trump. The document highlights that the Taliban, which controls the country, is a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) group. The move comes just weeks after the Trump administration appeared to signal that it believed the situation had improved in Afghanistan, when it announced the end of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghans living in the US. Afghanistan is further accused by Trump of lacking a "competent or co-operative" central authority for issuing passports or civil documents. As with other countries on Trump's list, the issue of Afghan nationals overstaying their visas is also cited. Trump's travel ban: Follow live updates BBC Verify Live: Fact-checking Trump's reasoning Everything we know about the ban so far Trump suspends foreign student visas at Harvard Trump's proclamation identifies Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism - a longstanding charge that the Middle Eastern nation has previously rejected. The US has previously censured Tehran, Iran's capital, for its alleged sponsorship of proxy groups operating in the region, such as Hamas and Hezbollah. The new proclamation from Trump says the country is "the source of significant terrorism around the world", does not co-operate with the US on security risks and has "historically failed to accept back its removable nationals". The move comes amid diplomatic wrangling between the two sides over the creation of a new deal over Iran's nuclear weapon-building capabilities. Similar reasons are given in the case of Somalia. The east African country is branded by Trump as a "terrorist safe haven". Like Iran, it is also accused of failing to accept its nationals when removed from the US. However, a further point was made by Trump: "Somalia stands apart from other countries in the degree to which its government lacks command and control of its territory, which greatly limits the effectiveness of its national capabilities in a variety of respects." Somalia's internationally-based government faces a significant challenge from armed Islamists. It has pledged to "engage in dialogue to address the concerns raised" by Trump. Libya, in north Africa, is cited for its "historical terrorist presence", which is painted as a security threat to Americans. Libya and Somalia are also among the countries on Trump's list which have been criticised for their perceived incompetence at issuing passports. The document highlights that "hundreds of thousands of illegal Haitian aliens flooded into the United States during the Biden Administration". Trump points to various perceived risks that this has entailed - including the creation of "criminal networks" and high visa overstay rates. Data from the US Census Bureau suggested more than 852,000 Haitians were living in the US in February 2024, though it does not give a breakdown of when those migrants arrived. Many came after a devastating earthquake in 2010, or after fleeing gang violence that took hold in the Caribbean nation. The US president also points to a lack of central authority in Haiti for matters including law enforcement. These countries are solely accused by Trump of having relatively high visa overstay rates. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defines an "overstay" as a person who remains in the US beyond their authorised period of admission, with no evidence of any extension. The "rate" signals the proportion of people who overstayed. The central African nation Chad is singled out for showing a "a blatant disregard for United States immigration laws". The document highlights an overstay rate of 49.54% by Chadians on business or tourist visas in 2023, citing a DHS report. Congo-Brazzaville and Equatorial Guinea have equivalent rates of 29.63% and 21.98% respectively. But these rates are lower than Laos, which faces a lesser restriction. Myanmar - referred to as Chad in the Trump proclamation - is similarly accused of a high visa overstay rates. As with others on the list, including Iran, the country is further accused of not co-operating with the US to accept deported Burmese nationals. For each of these countries, the first allegation made by Trump is that they have questionable competence at issuing passports and civil documents. Eritrea and Sudan are further accused of having relatively high visa overstay rates. Eritrea is also blamed for failing to make the criminal records of its national available to the US, and of refusing to accept deported nationals. As with Somalia, Yemen is also accused of lacking control over its own land. Trump's proclamation highlights that it is the site of active US military operations. The US has been combating Houthis, who have seized much of the north and west of the country during an ongoing civil war. People from seven other nations face partial restrictions: Venezuela is accused of lacking a "competent or co-operative" central authority for issuing passports and similar documents. Allegations of visa overstays and a refusal to accept deportees are again mentioned. In response, the South American country has described the Trump administration as "supremacists who think they own the world" Cuba is labelled as another "state sponsor of terrorism" - a designation that was made by the US in 2021, and condemned by Havana. An alleged refusal to accept deportees is also mentioned, as are visa overstays Visa overstays are again presented as the key issue in the cases of Burundi, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo and Turkmenistan
Scoop
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Sanctioning High Ranking Members Of Cártel Del Noreste
Friday, 23 May 2025, 10:59 am Press Release: U.S. Department of State TAMMY BRUCE, DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON MAY 21, 2025 Today, the United States is sanctioning Miguel Ángel de Anda Ledezma and Ricardo González Sauceda, two high-ranking members of the Mexico-based Cártel del Noreste (CDN), formerly known as Los Zetas. This violent transnational cartel and U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization and Specially Designated Global Terrorist is involved in drug trafficking, kidnapping, extortion, migrant smuggling, and other illicit activities. The two individuals sanctioned today have contributed to Cártel del Noreste's drug trafficking, arms trafficking, and acts of violence. Cártel del Noreste uses violence to exert its criminal control and intimidate border communities and U.S. citizens, particularly in northeastern Mexico. In March 2022, Cártel del Noreste attacked the U.S. Consulate in Nuevo Laredo with gunfire and grenades after the arrest of a CDN member who was wanted in Mexico for homicide and extortion. The United States remains committed to protecting our nation by keeping illicit drugs off our streets and degrading the ability of cartels to arm themselves, a critical step toward the total elimination of these organizations. Today's action further demonstrates the Trump Administration's unwavering commitment to protecting our local communities and the safety of the American people. The United States took today's sanctions actions pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 14059 and 13224, as amended. This action follows our recent designation of CDN as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). For more information about today's designations, please see Treasury's press release. © Scoop Media
Scoop
22-04-2025
- Scoop
$5m Reward Offer For Information Leading To Arrest And/or Conviction Of Leader Of Foreign Terrorist Organization MS-13
With the designation of Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) on February 20, 2025, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), the U.S. government is working towards building a safer, stronger, and more prosperous hemisphere in the Americas by providing all available means to eliminate the threats of violent crime by MS-13 throughout the Western Hemisphere. The U.S. government is offering a reward under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP) of up to $5 million, which was announced in 2023, for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction in any country of Yulan Adonay Archaga Carías, aka 'Porky' and 'Alexander Mendoza', the leader of MS-13 in Honduras. Archaga Carías is the highest-ranking member of MS-13 in Honduras and is responsible for directing the gang's criminal activities, such as drug trafficking, money laundering, murder, kidnappings, and other violent crimes involving machine guns. He is also responsible for the gang's importation of large amounts of cocaine into the United States. Archaga Carías remains at large. Archaga Carías is one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, as well as one of the DEA's and Homeland Security Investigations' most wanted fugitives. If you have information, please contact the FBI by email at archaga-carias_tips@ or via text at +1 832-267-1688 (text/WhatsApp) for this reward. If you are located outside of the United States, you may also contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. If you are in the United States, you may also contact the local FBI, DEA, or HSI offices in your city. Today's announcement reinforces the importance of public awareness for rewards targets who are members of, or associated with, the eight cartels and transnational criminal organizations designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations on February 20, 2025. Bringing these individuals to justice is a priority for the Trump Administration.
