The US State Department has confirmed that the Trump administration is considering a travel ban for 36 countries around the world, including Dominica, if they don’t improve their citizens’ travel documentation and other matters.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, June 17, spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said the United States wants the countries to improve their vetting process of passport holders, accept their nationals deported from the US, and ensure their citizens or passport holders do not pose a threat to the US.
“We’re looking at providing a period of time, (where if countries) don’t get to that point where we can trust them and they’ve got to change the system, update it, do whatever they need to do to convince us that we can trust the process and the information they have,” she said.
The matter was first reported by the Washington Post over the past weekend, The newspaper said it had seen a memo sent by Secretary of State Marco Rubio to US diplomats which stated that the countries have 60 days to meet State Department requirements or face a travel ban.
The report indicated that some of the countries did not meet State Department requirements such as having the availability of citizenship by monetary investment without a requirement of residency. Dominica has a Citizenship by Investment (CBI) program which does not require residency on the island. Caribbean countries with similar programs, such as Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia, are on the list.
The countries have until Wednesday, June 18 (today) to improve their citizens’ travel documentation and take steps to address the status of their nationals who are in the United States illegally, according to the report.
There were speculations among some that the report might not be true since the New York Times and the Reuters news agency had reported in March that a similar ban was being considered which the State Department subsequently said was false.
But Bruce’s announcement put all the speculations to rest.
She did not reveal the full details of the ban but said the United States is committed to protecting its citizens by “upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa process in particular.”
She quoted an Executive Order by US President Donald Trump which said the US visa adjudication process “has got to ensure that US-bound foreign travelers do not pose a threat to the national security and public safety of the United States.”
She pointed out that the process is of a “low bar and is a bar that every nation should be able to adopt.”
“To protect the national security and the national interest of the United States and its people, the Department of State and other US government agencies assess other countries’ security capabilities, information sharing and identity management practices, exploitation of the US visa system, such as overstay rates and failure to facilitate the repatriation of their removable nationals,” Bruce explained.
She noted that the matter has nothing to do with the geo-position of a country or on which continent it is actually located.
“It’s about very specific aspects about whether or not the United States feels it can trust the information we rely on various countries for to determine whether or not they will get a visa,” she stated.
“We rely on the vetting and the presentation of information from other nations in order to say, yes you can or you can’t come.”
She said that the US is providing a period of time for countries “being told if they don’t get to that point where we can trust them and they got to change their system, update it, do whatever they need to do to convince us that we can trust the process and the information they have.”
“So that is the goal of this,” Bruce said. “The Secretary (of State) will have the discretion to determine whether or not someone is on that list and we then also continuously vet the nature of what’s happening within these conversations and the goal is that we can all move forward, so that people can come to the country…”
She also said reports that the countries on the list have until Wednesday to begin addressing US concerns are not true.
“I can just tell you that’s not correct,” she remarked.
“The fact is that they will have a considerable amount of time to rectify whatever the situation is that the State Department [determines] is affecting the nature of our trust and how we assure visa.”
Dominica should ban all tourists from the United States and tell all US citizens living in Dominica, those not born on Dominica to get out.
Prime Minister of Saint Vincent, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves (PhD) was correct. You all can keep arguing and fighting with yourselves in Dominica but when the ban comes, if your corrupt government does not fix thigs, then you all will feel it! Ask Cuba and Venezuela!
I do hope the ban takes effect. I do hope the European Union will take steps to also institute a ban. these countries have more to lose that. the Dominica. Dominica does not do due diligence.Dominica has people who barely pass through and one gets a passport no criteria. The inconsistent ways we dealt with diplomatic relations its questionable. one would think that diplomatic relations would have been on halt evaluated after their so called Syria.issue. which was a hostile act – severing diplomatic relations with a country you have no issues with. Diplomatic relations is established with Pakistan a country where the Taliban and Al Kaida has strong présence.in that region. how is Dominica going to decide that a person from this region has terrorist affiliation? one of the inline guys could get a passport and Dominica would not know who he or his wife is. A poor country like Dominica issuing passports
Ban should be implemented and remain in place while the CBI scrapped.
America and not Dominica, St Lucia or Antigua decides who gets a visa to visit the US therefore this statement by the US state department telling us that this move is all about securing the homeland is just ludicrous. The US has the right to deny entry to anyone from any country therefore why are they giving us the impression that we are the ones who decide who gets into the US? Makes no sense.
I failed to see Saudi Arabia on the list and wondered why they were left out since this new directive is all about homeland security. Remember the main perpetrators of the horrendous act which occurred on 9/11? Those evil doers sure didn’t come from the countries the US is now targeting.
Inquiring minds really want to know the real reasons behind these new demands by the US.
Www. Who ever you are you missed the point .Let us look at the CBI program where passports are sold or handed to people who do not know where Dominica is and their only investment is buying a travel document .So a man from any part of the world traveling as a Dominican have the same right as I went to the passport office with my picture and of course my face and Wesley accent ? That should not be and need to be corrected
@ Mr. Dominica, the US gives out green cards to foreign investors at 800K, if you read the reports this program is riddled with scams including money laundering but you never hear the US talking about shutting the program. Did our Banana industry pose a threat to US security? It did not, yet the US and its allies destroyed this vital industry to promote their greedy interest. A former Dominican Prime Minister was forced to refer to America as a terrorist nation after they played a major role in the destruction of the banana industry. Because of your narrow minded politics and hatred for Skeritt and the DLP you and others of your ilk are not interested in the best interest of Dominica, that’s why you will support Trump and the Europeans to destroy Dominica. You call yourself Mr. Dominica you shameless idiot, Mr AMERICA is much more appropriate. While Skeritt is working tirelessly build Dominica you support people who are currently living off wealth that was built on the backs of…slaves
This coming from a felon who attacked the US Capitol and tried to overthrow the US Government.
Trump just turn the world upside dowh. See how he cause Iran to be crushing Israel housed like dust with hypersnicc misssile. Israle never get blows so befor by mobody and peopl are crying.
@Wow
😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄
😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄.
Are you crying?
MEME
This is total rubbish. So is the US saying that any national of these countries who happen to have an anti-American opinion should not be issued with a passport? Is the US government now going to force countries like Dominica and Antigua to include questions on passport application that would force applicants to declare their political position as it relates to the United States? All these Countries require visa to enter the US as they are not part of the US VISA WAIVER PROGRAM!! It is America who decides who enters America. A Dominican or an Antiguan passport does not give the holder automatic right to enter the US they must apply for a visa. America does not have to give reasons for denying visas it is their right. Is Saudi Arabia on the list, no, yet most of the hijackers of 911 came from Saudi Arabia. What about Egypt, an Egyptian just committed an act of terrorism in the US.
@Point
You are a doggone hypocrite. You should be asking what has LAZY Skerrit done with the billions of dollars of CBI money, and why in 2025, we still have not diversied from passport selling, your little hypocrite.
Boom boom flies to wicked leaders lead us into an abyss, and we are almost there.
@ MEME, lazy Skeritt is the one using the billions earned from the CBI to help Dominicans by sending students to University, providing improve housing, building hospitals and health centers, expanding the tourism infrastructure by investing in modern hotels, improving the road network. supporting the almost completed geothermal project that will allow for cheaper electricity to consumers. Have I mentioned the international airport, care for the elderly and the aerial Tram. I did not get this information second hand for I have seen it all up close…. so go ahead call me a hypocrite and get blue vex.
Now that all speculations are over what is next for our country and people? What specifically does the local leadership plan to do to avoid this US visa denial?
From the demands of the Trump administration, I predict a near fatal blow to the CBI program. One of the demands of the US is for people who procure passports from our country using the Citizen By Investment scheme, have to reside in the country for a period of time. The question is, how many of these prospective ‘new citizens’ are willing to do this? Not many.
Inevitably, the “cash cow’ of the country barely produces milk anymore. Life becomes even more unbearable.
Roosevelt was warned repeatedly to diversify the economy and halt the dependence on passport sales. Here we go. Failing to plan is planning to fail. Serious trouble ahead!
@IboFrance
Skerrit had more than enough time to DIVERSIFY the Dominican economy, but he maliciously refused too. This is a clear sign that he was not just LAZY, but took Dominicans for a ride, by telling them he is the ONLY one that can lead Dominica. Any other Prime Minister would have done better.
He told them leadership is everything, but his red supporters never understood him, since he knew that he was doing injustice to Dominica.
Those who cannot hear must feel.
Spot on! The Star Boy of Stupidity & Corruption does not have a clue about the diversification of the economy. I seriously doubt he knows the definition of the word DIVERSIFICATION. We really need to rid Dominica of this F – grade grabberment.
My antipathy towards Trump, has nothing to do with his travel ban, because as i have said ad nauseam, Skerrit is an EXTREMELY LAZY leader, and that’s why we are totally dependent on passport sales to do everything.
St Vincent does not. Why cant he learn from Ralph?
My bigger issue with racist Trump, is his thuggery, and snake like attitude. That’s a crooked snake which campaigned on a platform of peace. ‘If i was president, the Ukraine war would never have started, so is Gaza, ‘I will end the Ukraine war in 24 hours’ etc, but the crooked egotistical buffoon, had deception pervading his entire soul. In less than 6 months, he approved decapitation strike on people negotiating peace with him. He went on the media CELEBRATING. He said he does not even want to hear what his National Security Adviser, Tulsi Garbbard, has to say about Iran. What he wants is WAR.
Thats America though.
The greatest threat to world peace has always been America, and thug Trump is at the center of it…
The 36 countries should not take back any deportee,they went to the US on their own,the so called land of milk and honey.They should not be accepted,they were attracted to the US for what ever reason they should stay in the US F Trump and F the US.We already cannot go the US without a visa.When they wanted to INVADE Grenada in 1983 in the name of democracy they used Dame Eugenia Charles and Dominica.I can tell MEME,Ibo France,Bwa-Banday,Francisco DOGG,Him and Hello that,I Labour power was a member of the CPF(Caribbean Peace-keeping Force) in Grenada in 1983.I am a patriot who left wife and children,boarded a C130 HERCULES to serve Dominica in a foreign land.The US is like UWP ungrateful RATS.They gave us M16s,M60s,,grenades,45 cal pistols,they gace us high-speed boats with 50 cal,and they trained us to protect their interest.That is for the UWP are holes to think about.
@the CLOWN
You are an illiterate and an embarrassment.
I don’t read what you write, i just thumb you down.
You are high on something.
Shameless!