US government debunks new travel ban list, Spokesperson Bruce confirms no official decision made

United States: A White House Official on Monday confirmed that no official decisions have been made about whether to enact a potential travel ban on over 40 nations in the world including several Caribbean countries-Dominica, St Kitts and Nevis and Saint Lucia. 

“First of all, there is no list,” confirmed Tammy Bruce, Spokesperson for the United States Department of State. The development comes after a report from the New York Times is making rounds on social media mentioning 43 countries from across the world which might face severe or total travel limitations instituted by the United States of America.

She said, “What people are looking at over the last couple of days is not the list that exists, but there is an ongoing review.” Tammy Bruce added that there is review, as they know through the president's executive order, for them to look at the nature of what's gonna help keep America safer when dealing with the issue of visas and who's allowed into the country.

Bruce continued, “But what has being touted as something as an item through the State Department just simply isn't the case.” 

Notably, New York Times’s article on the US visa ban list draft have made headlines across the globe, putting several countries under threat. The list was divided into three categories including “Red category”, “Orange category,” and “Yellow category.” 

As per the article, the countries such as Afghanistan, Iran, Cuba, Bhutan, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Sudan, Venezuela, and Yemen were in the red list, pointing out that the citizens of these countries are not allowed to enter the US. On the other hand, orange list depicted that the citizens of the specific countries would face sharply visa restriction. 

In the yellow list, several Caribbean countries including Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, St Kitts and Nevis and Saint Lucia have been added. As per the list, the countries were given 60 days to address several issues. 

However, Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew of St Kitts and Nevis and Prime Minister Dr Roosevelt Skerrit of Dominica also confirmed that they did not receive any official confirmation from the United States Department of States.