‘Tonga is not a threat’: anger as small Pacific nation falls under Trump visa restrictions

Excerpt from talanoaotonga.to Photo Credit: Ben Mckay/AAP via talanoaotonga.to

The small Pacific nation of Tonga is one of more than a dozen countries to be hit with visa and entry restrictions on 1 January as the Trump administration tightens its crackdown on immigration.

In December, the US said it would further restrict and limit the entry of foreign nationals to protect the country from “national security and public safety threats”.

The measures included expanding the US travel ban to bar nationals from five more countries: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria.

The US also issued “partial restrictions and entry limitations” on 15 additional countries: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, the Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Despite the restrictions being categorised as “partial”, visas will only be issued in a handful of exceptional circumstances – to US government employees, for example.