Washington D.C., Sep 25, 2017 / 15:42 pm
Just weeks before the Supreme Court was to hear a challenge to the Trump administration's travel ban, the administration announced new restrictions to the ban on Sunday.
"Following an extensive review by the Department of Homeland Security, we are taking action today to protect the safety and security of the American people by establishing a minimum security baseline for entry into the United States," President Donald Trump stated on Sunday.
"Our government's first duty is to its people, to our citizens – to serve their needs, to ensure their safety, to preserve their rights, and to defend their values," Trump stated.
On Sunday evening, the Trump administration announced it was continuing the travel ban indefinitely just before it was set to expire, expanding the number of countries of restricted travel to eight, as part of "enhanced national security measures." It also set new security standards for other countries to help the U.S. vet visa applicants and immigrants.
In March, President Donald Trump had signed an executive order "on Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States." It was a revision from his January executive
order on immigration.