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Travel ban to affect 19 countries starting Monday; impact felt in western Pennsylvania

Travel ban to affect 19 countries starting Monday; impact felt in western Pennsylvania
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      Owner of Queen's Market in Charleroi, Augusta Gaul grappling with her home, Sierra Leone, being put on *** partial travel ban by the federal government. My father is still in Sierra Leone. I have brothers and sisters. I have *** lot of relatives. They are all in Sierra Leone. And get to know that they're not going to be able to come to this beautiful country is really, really, really sad. Gall immigrating to the US and opening her business in Charleroi, *** community that's also home to *** large population of Haitian immigrants. Haiti is one of the 12 countries whose residents are banned from Entering the US and the countries highlighted in *** lighter orange are facing partial restrictions, meaning anyone from those countries without *** valid visa cannot enter. There's people that have family in these countries that want to visit loved ones here, maybe sick, maybe for funerals, maybe for college graduations, business that goes on between these countries. Tourism at *** minimum that will be an economic loss. President Trump claims travelers from those countries pose terrorism and safety risks to the US and claims they are overstaying their visas, something Gaul says she does get. I got to understand due to the overstays of visitations. So I can understand *** little bit, but Gul still questioning if this is the right approach. America stands for open hands to welcome all types of people as long as you come legally, you fill out the proper document, you pay the proper amount, you go through the security that required to enter to this country. Let it be. The ban is set to take effect on Monday.
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      Updated: 7:37 PM EDT Jun 5, 2025
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      Travel ban to affect 19 countries starting Monday; impact felt in western Pennsylvania
      WTAE logo
      Updated: 7:37 PM EDT Jun 5, 2025
      Editorial Standards
      President Donald Trump has announced a new travel ban that affects 19 countries, effective Monday.Nationals from 12 countries will be banned from entering the U.S., while another seven countries face partial restrictions. These partial restrictions mean that individuals from the affected nations without valid visas will not be allowed entry.Trump travel ban: Which countries are affected? Who is exempt?The travel ban includes Haiti, which has a significant Haitian population in Charleroi, Washington County.Sierra Leone is among the countries facing partial restrictions as well. Augusta Goll, a Sierra Leonean immigrant and owner of Queen’s Market in Charleroi, expressed disappointment in Trump’s actions after supporting him.“We have this hope in him that he's going to do way better than she, you know? But since he's been here, it's just dividing families. It's just making everybody sad. America is built on immigration. Let's be honest. His wife is an immigrant. These are the same opportunities everybody's looking for,” she said.Goll, whose family remains in Sierra Leone, reflected on the impact of the new restrictions.“My father is still in Sierra Leone. I have brothers and sisters. I have a lot of relatives. They are all in Sierra Leone, and to know that they're not going to be able to come to this beautiful country is really, really, really sad,” she said.While Goll acknowledged the issue of overstayed visas, she questioned the approach.“Blocking people not to come to America, making America great again, please. That’s not what America should stand for. America stands for open hands to welcome all types of people, as long as you come legally, you fill out a proper document, you pay the proper amount, you go through the security that is required to enter to this country. Let it be," Goll said. Immigration attorney Joseph Murphy highlighted the broader implications of the travel ban, discussing its effects on families, commerce, and tourism.“There’s people that have family in these countries that want to visit loved ones here, maybe sick, maybe for funerals, maybe for college graduations. There’s any number of life events, studying opportunities, and then there’s commerce. Some of these countries we don’t do a lot of commerce with, but there is commerce. There’s business that goes on between these countries. Tourism, at a minimum, that will be an economic loss,” Murphy said.Murphy also warned about international repercussions stemming from the policy. “When the United States starts doing things like this and the other countries will do reciprocal things, it’s just like the tariff war. ‘All right, you’re not going to take our people. We’re not going to take yours.’ And you can get yourself into something childish. Again, the mathematics has to have been done, and at least in the reasoning of the Trump administration, they probably believe that there’s not a lot of people from here traveling to Somalia and that it’s a fair enough trade for them,” he said.The ban is set to take effect Monday.

      President Donald Trump has announced a new travel ban that affects 19 countries, effective Monday.

      Nationals from 12 countries will be banned from entering the U.S., while another seven countries face partial restrictions. These partial restrictions mean that individuals from the affected nations without valid visas will not be allowed entry.

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      Trump travel ban: Which countries are affected? Who is exempt?

      The travel ban includes Haiti, which has a significant Haitian population in Charleroi, Washington County.

      Sierra Leone is among the countries facing partial restrictions as well. Augusta Goll, a Sierra Leonean immigrant and owner of Queen’s Market in Charleroi, expressed disappointment in Trump’s actions after supporting him.

      “We have this hope in him that he's going to do way better than she, you know? But since he's been here, it's just dividing families. It's just making everybody sad. America is built on immigration. Let's be honest. His wife is an immigrant. These are the same opportunities everybody's looking for,” she said.

      Goll, whose family remains in Sierra Leone, reflected on the impact of the new restrictions.

      “My father is still in Sierra Leone. I have brothers and sisters. I have a lot of relatives. They are all in Sierra Leone, and to know that they're not going to be able to come to this beautiful country is really, really, really sad,” she said.

      While Goll acknowledged the issue of overstayed visas, she questioned the approach.

      “Blocking people not to come to America, making America great again, please. That’s not what America should stand for. America stands for open hands to welcome all types of people, as long as you come legally, you fill out a proper document, you pay the proper amount, you go through the security that is required to enter to this country. Let it be," Goll said.

      Immigration attorney Joseph Murphy highlighted the broader implications of the travel ban, discussing its effects on families, commerce, and tourism.

      “There’s people that have family in these countries that want to visit loved ones here, maybe sick, maybe for funerals, maybe for college graduations. There’s any number of life events, studying opportunities, and then there’s commerce. Some of these countries we don’t do a lot of commerce with, but there is commerce. There’s business that goes on between these countries. Tourism, at a minimum, that will be an economic loss,” Murphy said.

      Murphy also warned about international repercussions stemming from the policy.

      “When the United States starts doing things like this and the other countries will do reciprocal things, it’s just like the tariff war. ‘All right, you’re not going to take our people. We’re not going to take yours.’ And you can get yourself into something childish. Again, the mathematics has to have been done, and at least in the reasoning of the Trump administration, they probably believe that there’s not a lot of people from here traveling to Somalia and that it’s a fair enough trade for them,” he said.

      The ban is set to take effect Monday.