MOSCOW, Dec 5 (Bernama-Sputnik/RIA Novosti) -- US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said that the US government is expanding the current travel ban from 19 to over 30 countries following a shooting near the White House, Sputnik/RIA Novosti reported.
CBS News previously reported that US officials are discussing expanding the current travel ban from 19 to approximately 30 countries.
"I won't be specific on the number, but it's over 30, and the president is continuing to evaluate countries," Noem said in an interview with Fox News on Thursday.
The Trump administration began tightening immigration policies after the tragic incident on November 26, when an Afghan national, who reportedly was granted asylum in the US earlier this year, wounded two National Guard officers near the White House in Washington, DC.
Last Thursday, US Attorney General Pam Bondi vowed that US prosecutors will seek the death penalty for the shooter if the victims die. Later that day, US President Donald Trump announced that the female officer, 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, had died in the hospital, while her 24-year-old colleague was still in critical condition.
--BERNAMA-SPUTNIK/RIA NOVOSTI
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