Improving Enhanced Vetting Capabilities and Processes for Detecting Attempted Entry Into the United States by Terrorists or Other Public-Safety Threats, 6699-6707 [2020-02422]

Agencies

• Executive Office of the President

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 24 (Wednesday, February 5, 2020)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 6699-6707]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-02422]



[[Page 6697]]

Vol. 85

Wednesday,

No. 24

February 5, 2020

Part II





The President





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Proclamation 9983--Improving Enhanced Vetting Capabilities and 
Processes for Detecting Attempted Entry Into the United States by 
Terrorists or Other Public-Safety Threats



Proclamation 9984--Suspension of Entry as Immigrants and Nonimmigrants 
of Persons Who Pose a Risk of Transmitting 2019 Novel Coronavirus and 
Other Appropriate Measures To Address This Risk


                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 85 , No. 24 / Wednesday, February 5, 2020 / 
Presidential Documents

___________________________________________________________________

Title 3--
The President

[[Page 6699]]

                Proclamation 9983 of January 31, 2020

                
Improving Enhanced Vetting Capabilities and 
                Processes for Detecting Attempted Entry Into the United 
                States by Terrorists or Other Public-Safety Threats

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                In Executive Order 13780 of March 6, 2017 (Protecting 
                the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United 
                States), I temporarily suspended entry of nationals of 
                certain specified countries and ordered a worldwide 
                review of whether the United States would need 
                additional information from each foreign country to 
                assess adequately whether nationals of that foreign 
                country seeking to enter the United States pose a 
                security or public-safety threat to the United States, 
                and if so, what additional information was needed. The 
                Secretary of Homeland Security, pursuant to Executive 
                Order 13780 and in consultation with the Secretary of 
                State and the Director of National Intelligence, 
                developed an assessment model using three categories of 
                criteria to assess national security and public-safety 
                threats: whether a foreign government engages in 
                reliable identity-management practices and shares 
                relevant information; whether a foreign government 
                shares national security and public-safety information; 
                and whether a country otherwise poses a national 
                security or public-safety risk.

                Following a comprehensive worldwide review of the 
                performance of approximately 200 countries using these 
                criteria, the Secretary of Homeland Security presented 
                the results of this review, focusing in particular on 
                those countries that were deficient or at risk of 
                becoming deficient in their performance under the 
                assessment criteria. After a subsequent period of 
                diplomatic engagement on these issues by the Department 
                of State, the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security 
                submitted a report in September 2017, which found that 
                eight countries were hindering the ability of the 
                United States Government to identify threats posed by 
                foreign nationals attempting to enter the United 
                States. The Secretary of Homeland Security then 
                recommended that I impose travel restrictions on 
                certain nationals of those countries. After 
                consultation with relevant Cabinet officials and 
                appropriate Assistants to the President, I issued 
                Proclamation 9645 of September 24, 2017 (Enhancing 
                Vetting Capabilities and Processes for Detecting 
                Attempted Entry Into the United States by Terrorists or 
                Other Public-Safety Threats).

                In Proclamation 9645, I suspended and limited the entry 
                into the United States of certain nationals of eight 
                countries that failed to satisfy the criteria and were 
                unable or unwilling to improve their information 
                sharing, or that otherwise presented serious terrorism-
                related risks. Those travel restrictions remain in 
                effect today, with one exception. On April 10, 2018, I 
                issued Proclamation 9723 (Maintaining Enhanced Vetting 
                Capabilities and Processes for Detecting Attempted 
                Entry Into the United States by Terrorists or Other 
                Public-Safety Threats), removing travel restrictions on 
                nationals of the Republic of Chad. Chad had improved 
                its identity-management and information-sharing 
                practices by taking steps to issue more secure 
                passports and by increasing the integrity of how its 
                government handles lost and stolen passports. Chad also 
                began to share information about known or suspected 
                terrorists in a manner that makes that information 
                available to the United States screening and vetting 
                programs, and it created a new,

[[Page 6700]]

                standardized process for the United States to request 
                relevant criminal information.

                Pursuant to my directives in section 4 of Proclamation 
                9645, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has 
                continued to assess every 180 days and report to me on 
                whether the interests of the United States require the 
                suspension of or limitation on entry of certain classes 
                of foreign nationals. DHS has also continued to assess 
                ways to further improve its processes for measuring how 
                countries perform under the assessment criteria. From 
                July 2018 through August 2019, DHS updated its 
                methodology to assess compliance with the assessment 
                criteria, which has allowed for more in-depth analysis 
                and yields even more granularity and increased accuracy 
                regarding each country's performance under the 
                criteria.

                In this updated methodology, the general overall 
                criteria for review have not changed. The United States 
                Government still expects all foreign governments to 
                share needed identity-management information, to share 
                national security and public-safety information, and to 
                pass a security and public-safety risk assessment. 
                Building on experience and insight gained over the last 
                2 years, DHS has, however, refined and modified the 
                specific performance metrics by which it assesses 
                compliance with the above criteria. For example, while 
                the prior model determined whether a country shares 
                certain needed information, the revised model accounts 
                for how frequently the country shares that information 
                and the extent to which that data contributes to border 
                and immigration screening and vetting. As another 
                example, the prior system asked whether a country 
                issued electronic passports at all, whereas the refined 
                metrics assess whether a country issues electronic 
                passports for all major classes of travel documents. 
                Similarly, the lost and stolen passports criterion 
                previously assessed whether a country had prior 
                instances of reporting loss or theft to the 
                International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), 
                whereas the revised model now assesses whether the 
                country has reported lost or stolen passports to 
                INTERPOL within 30 days of a report of a loss or theft.

                The DHS improvements to the assessment criteria also 
                involve additional, and more customized, data from the 
                United States Intelligence Community. DHS's original 
                evaluation under Executive Order 13780 relied on 
                existing intelligence products to assess the threat 
                from each country. With the benefit of 2 years of 
                experience, DHS has worked closely with the 
                Intelligence Community to define intelligence 
                requirements and customize intelligence reporting that 
                offers a detailed characterization of the relative risk 
                of terrorist travel to the United States from each 
                country in the world. This additional detail improves 
                DHS's assessment of national security and public-safety 
                risk.

                In addition, DHS greatly increased the amount of 
                information obtained from United States Embassies 
                abroad, which work closely with foreign governments. 
                United States Embassies are best positioned to 
                understand their host countries' ability and 
                willingness to provide information to the United 
                States, and United States Embassies' assessments 
                contribute to a clearer understanding of how well a 
                foreign government satisfies the assessment criteria. 
                DHS also consolidated statistical information on 
                operational encounters with foreign nationals. This 
                information speaks to the frequency with which a 
                country's nationals commit offenses while in the United 
                States or otherwise develop grounds for inadmissibility 
                under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

                Finally, as more precise, granular data became 
                available, it became clear that many countries were 
                only partially implementing each criterion. The 2017 
                process had three basic potential compliance ratings 
                for each criterion: in compliance, out of compliance, 
                or unknown. The updated methodology allows the United 
                States to account for ways in which countries partially 
                comply with the metrics associated with each criterion. 
                As a result, for example, countries that DHS assessed 
                in the 2017 review have now received more nuanced, 
                partial compliance ratings. In addition, the process 
                now

[[Page 6701]]

                weighs each criterion and risk factor based on its 
                degree of importance to the United States Government 
                for conducting screening and vetting of visa applicants 
                and other travelers to the United States.

                Using this enhanced review process, DHS conducted its 
                most recent, worldwide review pursuant to Proclamation 
                9645 between March 2019 and September 2019. The process 
                began on March 11, 2019, when the United States 
                Government formally notified all foreign governments 
                (except for Iran, Syria, and North Korea) about the 
                refined performance metrics for the identity-management 
                and information-sharing criteria. After collecting 
                information from foreign governments, multilateral 
                organizations, United States Embassies, Federal law 
                enforcement agencies, and the Intelligence Community, 
                multiple subject matter experts reviewed each country's 
                data and measured its identity-management and 
                information-sharing practices against the criteria. DHS 
                then applied the data to an algorithm it developed to 
                consistently assess each country's compliance with the 
                criteria.

                DHS identified the worst-performing countries for 
                further interagency review and for an assessment of the 
                potential impact of visa restrictions. As in the 
                worldwide review culminating in Proclamation 9645, the 
                Acting Secretary of Homeland Security assessed that 
                Iraq did not meet the baseline for compliance. As part 
                of the interagency review process, the Acting Secretary 
                of Homeland Security determined, however, not to 
                recommend entry restrictions and limitations for 
                nationals of Iraq. In his report, the Acting Secretary 
                of Homeland Security recognized a close cooperative 
                relationship between the United States and the 
                democratically elected government of Iraq, the strong 
                United States diplomatic presence in Iraq, the 
                significant presence of United States forces in Iraq, 
                and Iraq's commitment to combating the Islamic State of 
                Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The Acting Secretary of Homeland 
                Security considered another similarly situated country 
                and determined that, for reasons similar to those 
                present in Iraq, entry restrictions and limitations 
                would not be appropriate.

                In addition, the United States Government, led by the 
                Department of State, continued or increased engagements 
                with many countries about those countries' 
                deficiencies. A number of foreign governments sent 
                senior officials to Washington, D.C., to discuss those 
                issues, explore potential solutions, and convey views 
                about obstacles to improving performance. As a result 
                of this engagement, one country made sufficient 
                improvements in its information-sharing and identity-
                management practices and was removed from consideration 
                for travel restrictions.

                On September 13, 2019, the Acting Secretary of Homeland 
                Security, after consulting with the Secretary of State, 
                the Attorney General, the Director of National 
                Intelligence, and the heads of other appropriate 
                agencies, submitted a fourth report to me recommending 
                the suspension of, or limitation on, the entry of 
                certain classes of nationals from certain countries in 
                order to protect United States national security, 
                including by incentivizing those foreign governments to 
                improve their practices. The Acting Secretary of 
                Homeland Security recommended maintaining the current 
                restrictions on the seven countries announced in 
                Proclamation 9645 (apart from Chad), as well as 
                implementing suspensions and limitations on entry for 
                certain nationals of twelve additional countries.

                Since the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security issued 
                his report on September 13, 2019, the Secretary of 
                State, consistent with section 4(b) of Proclamation 
                9645, has continued to engage many foreign governments 
                regarding the deficiencies identified in DHS's report 
                and has continued to consult with the Acting Secretary 
                of Homeland Security, the Secretary of Defense, and 
                other Cabinet-level officials about how best to protect 
                the national interest. Based on these engagements, in 
                January 2020, those senior officials recommended that I 
                maintain the entry restrictions adopted in Proclamation 
                9645 (as modified by Proclamation 9723), and that I 
                exercise my authority under section 212(f) of the INA 
                to suspend entry into the United States for nationals 
                of six new countries--Burma (Myanmar), Eritrea,

[[Page 6702]]

                Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Sudan, and Tanzania--until those 
                countries address their identified deficiencies.

                The January 2020 proposal recommended visa restrictions 
                on fewer countries than identified by the September 
                2019 DHS report. For example, the January 2020 proposal 
                recommended no entry restrictions on nationals of one 
                country that had been recommended for restrictions in 
                the September 2019 report. This country made 
                exceptional progress in correcting deficiencies since 
                the September 2019 report, such that it could no longer 
                be characterized as a country that is among those 
                posing the highest degree of risk. In addition, the 
                January 2020 proposal recommended that, for five poorly 
                performing countries, foreign policy interests 
                warranted a different approach than recommended in the 
                September 2019 report. Specifically, the January 2020 
                proposal suggested that diplomatic engagement and 
                requests for specific improvements during a defined 
                180-day period would be more appropriate and more 
                likely to result in immediate improvements in these 
                five countries. Each of these five countries provides 
                critical counterterrorism cooperation with the United 
                States and therefore holds strategic importance in 
                countering malign external actors. In several of the 
                five countries, the United States has experienced a 
                recent deepening of diplomatic ties that generally mark 
                increased cooperation toward achieving key regional and 
                global United States foreign policy goals. Importantly, 
                all five countries have credibly communicated 
                willingness to work directly with the United States 
                Government to correct their outstanding deficiencies, 
                and the United States believes progress is imminent for 
                several countries and underway for others. For these 
                reasons, these countries will be given an opportunity 
                to show specific improvements in their deficiencies 
                within the next 180 days.

                Consistent with recommendations contained in the 
                January 2020 proposal, I have decided to leave 
                unaltered the existing entry restrictions imposed by 
                Proclamation 9645, as amended by Proclamation 9723, and 
                to impose tailored entry restrictions and limitations 
                on nationals from six additional countries. I have 
                decided not to impose any nonimmigrant visa 
                restrictions for the newly identified countries, which 
                substantially reduces the number of people affected by 
                the proposed restrictions. Like the seven countries 
                that continue to face travel restrictions pursuant to 
                Proclamation 9645, the six additional countries 
                recommended for restrictions in the January 2020 
                proposal are among the worst performing in the world. 
                However, there are prospects for near-term improvement 
                for these six countries. Each has a functioning 
                government and each maintains productive relations with 
                the United States. Most of the newly identified 
                countries have expressed a willingness to work with the 
                United States to address their deficiencies, although 
                it may take some time to identify and implement 
                specific solutions to resolve the deficiencies.

                Consistent with the January 2020 proposal, I have 
                prioritized restricting immigrant visa travel over 
                nonimmigrant visa travel because of the challenges of 
                removing an individual in the United States who was 
                admitted with an immigrant visa if, after admission to 
                the United States, the individual is discovered to have 
                terrorist connections, criminal ties, or misrepresented 
                information. Because each of the six additional 
                countries identified in the January 2020 proposal has 
                deficiencies in sharing terrorist, criminal, or 
                identity information, there is an unacceptable 
                likelihood that information reflecting the fact that a 
                visa applicant is a threat to national security or 
                public safety may not be available at the time the visa 
                or entry is approved.

                For two newly identified countries that were among the 
                highest risk countries, but performed somewhat better 
                than others, I have decided, consistent with the 
                January 2020 proposal, to suspend entry only of 
                Diversity Immigrants, as described in section 203(c) of 
                the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1153(c). Such a suspension represents 
                a less severe limit compared to a general restriction 
                on immigrant visas, given the significantly fewer 
                number of aliens affected. The Acting Secretary of 
                Homeland Security considers foreign-government-

[[Page 6703]]

                supplied information especially important for screening 
                and vetting the Diversity Visa population in comparison 
                to other immigrant visa applicants, and I agree with 
                that assessment. In many cases, the United States 
                Government may not have the same amount of information 
                about Diversity Visa applicants compared with other 
                categories of immigrant visa applicants because 
                Diversity Visa applicants, with limited exceptions, do 
                not have the burden to show certain family ties to or 
                employment in the United States, or particular service 
                to the United States Government, as required for other 
                immigrant visa categories.

                Consistent with the January 2020 proposal, I have 
                decided not to impose any restrictions on certain 
                Special Immigrant Visas for nationals of the six newly 
                identified countries. Applicants under Special 
                Immigrant programs generally do not need to demonstrate 
                the same work or familial ties as other immigrant 
                visas, but do need to show other unique qualifications. 
                This exception is intended to cover those Special 
                Immigrants who have advanced United States interests 
                (and their eligible family members), such as foreign 
                nationals who have worked for a United States Embassy 
                for 15 years or more and are especially deserving of a 
                visa.

                As President, I must continue to act to protect the 
                security and interests of the United States and its 
                people. I remain committed to our ongoing efforts to 
                engage those countries willing to cooperate, to improve 
                information-sharing and identity-management protocols 
                and procedures, and to address both terrorism-related 
                and public-safety risks. And I believe that the 
                assessment process, including enhancements made to that 
                process, leads to new partnerships that strengthen our 
                immigration screening and vetting capabilities. Until 
                the countries identified in this proclamation 
                satisfactorily address the identified deficiencies, I 
                have determined, on the basis of a recommendation from 
                the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security and other 
                members of my Cabinet, to impose certain conditional 
                restrictions and limitations on entry into the United 
                States of nationals of the countries identified in 
                section 1 of this proclamation, as set forth more fully 
                below.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the 
                United States of America, by the authority vested in me 
                by the Constitution and the laws of the United States 
                of America, including sections 212(f) and 215(a) of the 
                INA, 8 U.S.C. 1182(f) and 1185(a), and section 301 of 
                title 3, United States Code, hereby find that, absent 
                the measures set forth in this proclamation, the 
                immigrant entry into the United States of persons 
                described in section 1 of this proclamation would be 
                detrimental to the interests of the United States, and 
                that their entry should be subject to certain 
                restrictions, limitations, and exceptions. I therefore 
                hereby proclaim the following:

                Section 1. Suspension of Entry for Nationals of 
                Countries of Identified Concern. The entry into the 
                United States of nationals of the following countries 
                is hereby suspended and limited, as follows, subject to 
                section 2 of this proclamation.

                    (a) The entry suspensions and limitations enacted 
                by section 2 of Proclamation 9645 are not altered by 
                this proclamation, and they remain in force by their 
                terms, except as modified by Proclamation 9723.
                    (b) Burma (Myanmar)

(i) Although Burma has begun to engage with the United States on a variety 
of identity-management and information-sharing issues, it does not comply 
with the established identity-management and information-sharing criteria 
assessed by the performance metrics. Burma does not issue electronic 
passports nor does it adequately share several types of information, 
including public-safety and terrorism-related information, that are 
necessary for the protection of the national security and public safety of 
the United States. Burma is in the process of modernizing its domestic 
identity-management and criminal-records systems and has worked with the 
United States to develop some of those systems. It has also recognized the 
need to make improvements. As its capabilities improve, the prospect for 
further bilateral cooperation will likely also increase. Despite these

[[Page 6704]]

encouraging prospects, Burma's identified deficiencies create vulnerabili-
ties that terrorists, criminals, and fraudulent entrants could exploit to 
harm United States national security and public safety.

(ii) The entry into the United States of nationals of Burma as immigrants, 
except as Special Immigrants whose eligibility is based on having provided 
assistance to the United States Government, is hereby suspended.

                    (c) Eritrea

(i) Eritrea does not comply with the established identity-management and 
information-sharing criteria assessed by the performance metrics. Eritrea 
does not issue electronic passports or adequately share several types of 
information, including public-safety and terrorism-related information, 
that are necessary for the protection of the national security and public 
safety of the United States. Further, Eritrea is currently subject to 
several nonimmigrant visa restrictions. Eritrea does not accept return of 
its nationals subject to final orders of removal from the United States, 
which further magnifies the challenges of removing its nationals who have 
entered with immigrant visas. Eritrea has engaged with the United States 
about its deficiencies, but it also requires significant reforms to its 
border security, travel-document security, and information-sharing 
infrastructure. Improvements in these areas will increase its opportunities 
to come into compliance with the United States Government's identity-
management and information-sharing criteria.

(ii) The entry into the United States of nationals of Eritrea as 
immigrants, except as Special Immigrants whose eligibility is based on 
having provided assistance to the United States Government, is hereby 
suspended.

                    (d) Kyrgyzstan

(i) Kyrgyzstan does not comply with the established identity-management and 
information-sharing criteria assessed by the performance metrics. 
Kyrgyzstan does not issue electronic passports or adequately share several 
types of information, including public-safety and terrorism-related 
information, that are necessary for the protection of the national security 
and public safety of the United States. Kyrgyzstan also presents an 
elevated risk, relative to other countries in the world, of terrorist 
travel to the United States, though it has been responsive to United States 
diplomatic engagement on the need to make improvements.

(ii) The entry into the United States of nationals of Kyrgyzstan as 
immigrants, except as Special Immigrants whose eligibility is based on 
having provided assistance to the United States Government, is hereby 
suspended.

                    (e) Nigeria

(i) Nigeria does not comply with the established identity-management and 
information-sharing criteria assessed by the performance metrics. Nigeria 
does not adequately share public-safety and terrorism-related information, 
which is necessary for the protection of the national security and public 
safety of the United States. Nigeria also presents a high risk, relative to 
other countries in the world, of terrorist travel to the United States. 
Nigeria is an important strategic partner in the global fight against 
terrorism, and the United States continues to engage with Nigeria on these 
and other issues. The Department of State has provided significant 
assistance to Nigeria as it modernizes its border management capabilities, 
and the Government of Nigeria recognizes the importance of improving its 
information sharing with the United States. Nevertheless, these investments 
have not yet resulted in sufficient improvements in Nigeria's information 
sharing with the United States for border and immigration screening and 
vetting.

(ii) The entry into the United States of nationals of Nigeria as 
immigrants, except as Special Immigrants whose eligibility is based on 
having provided assistance to the United States Government, is hereby 
suspended.

                    (f) Sudan


[[Page 6705]]



(i) Sudan generally does not comply with our identity-management 
performance metrics and presents a high risk, relative to other countries 
in the world, of terrorist travel to the United States. Sudan is, however, 
transitioning to civilian rule, a process which should improve 
opportunities for cooperation in the future, and it has already made 
progress in addressing its deficiencies in several areas. For example, 
Sudan now issues electronic passports and has improved its coordination 
with INTERPOL in several respects. Sudan has also shared exemplars of its 
passports with the United States and now permanently invalidates lost and 
stolen passports and fraudulently obtained travel documents. Because Sudan 
performed somewhat better than the countries listed earlier in this 
proclamation and is making important reforms to its system of government, 
different travel restrictions are warranted.

(ii) The entry into the United States of nationals of Sudan as Diversity 
Immigrants, as described in section 203(c) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1153(c), is 
hereby suspended.

                    (g) Tanzania

(i) Tanzania does not comply with the established identity-management and 
information-sharing criteria assessed by the performance metrics. Tanzania 
does not adequately share several types of information, including public-
safety and terrorism-related information, that is necessary for the 
protection of the national security and public safety of the United States. 
The Government of Tanzania's significant failures to adequately share 
information with the United States and other countries about possible Ebola 
cases in its territory detract from my confidence in its ability to resolve 
these deficiencies. Tanzania also presents an elevated risk, relative to 
other countries in the world, of terrorist travel to the United States. 
Tanzania does, however, issue electronic passports for all major passport 
classes, reports lost and stolen travel documents to INTERPOL at least once 
a month, and has provided exemplars of its current passports to the United 
States. Further, Tanzania does share some information with the United 
States, although its processes can be slow, overly bureaucratic, and 
complicated by limited technical capability. In light of these 
considerations, different travel restrictions are warranted.

(ii) The entry into the United States of nationals of Tanzania as Diversity 
Immigrants, as described in section 203(c) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1153(c), is 
hereby suspended.

                Sec. 2. Scope and Implementation of Suspensions and 
                Limitations. (a) Subject to the exceptions set forth in 
                section 3(b) of Proclamation 9645, any waiver under 
                section 3(c) of Proclamation 9645, and any enforcement 
                provision of section 6(b) through (e) of Proclamation 
                9645, the suspensions of and limitations on entry 
                pursuant to section 1(b) of this proclamation shall 
                apply to foreign nationals of the designated countries 
                who:

(i) are outside the United States on the applicable effective date of this 
proclamation;

(ii) do not have a valid visa on the applicable effective date of this 
proclamation; and

(iii) do not qualify for a visa or other valid travel document under 
section 6(d) of Proclamation 9645.

                    (b) The Secretary of State and the Secretary of 
                Homeland Security shall coordinate to update guidance, 
                if necessary, to implement this proclamation as to 
                nationals of the six countries identified in section 
                1(b) of this proclamation, consistent with the 
                provisions of this section.
                    (c) For purposes of this proclamation, the phrase 
                ``Special Immigrants whose eligibility is based on 
                having provided assistance to the United States 
                Government'' means those aliens described in section 
                101(a)(27)(D) through (G) and (K) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 
                1101(a)(27)(D) through (G) and (K), any alien seeking 
                to enter the United States pursuant to a Special 
                Immigrant

[[Page 6706]]

                Visa in the SI or SQ classification, and any spouse and 
                children of any such individual.

                Sec. 3. Reporting Requirements. (a) Section 4 of 
                Proclamation 9645 is amended to read as follows:

                    ``Sec. 4. Adjustments to Removal of Suspensions and 
                Limitations.

``(a) The Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the 
Secretary of State, shall on October 1, 2020, and annually thereafter, 
submit to the President the results of an evaluation as to whether to 
continue, terminate, modify, or supplement any suspensions of, or 
limitations on, the entry on certain classes of nationals of countries 
identified in section 2 of this proclamation and section 1(b) of the 
Proclamation ``Improving Enhanced Vetting Capabilities and Processes for 
Detecting Attempted Entry into the United States by Terrorists or Other 
Public-Safety Threats,'' signed on January 31, 2020.

``(b) The Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the 
Secretary of State and the Director of National Intelligence, shall not 
less than every 2 years evaluate whether each country in the world 
sufficiently shares relevant information and maintains adequate identity-
management and information-sharing practices to mitigate the risk that its 
citizens or residents may travel to the United States in furtherance of 
criminal or terrorist objectives, or otherwise seek to violate any law of 
the United States through travel or immigration. In doing so, the Secretary 
of Homeland Security shall:

                    ``(i) in consultation with the Secretary of State, 
                Attorney General, and the Director of National 
                Intelligence, report to the President, through the 
                appropriate Assistants to the President, any instance 
                in which, based on a review conducted under subsection 
                (b) of this section, the Secretary of Homeland Security 
                believes it is in the interests of the United States to 
                suspend or limit the entry of certain classes of 
                nationals of a country; and
                    ``(ii) in consultation with the Secretary of State 
                and the Director of National Intelligence, regularly 
                review and update as necessary the criteria and 
                methodology by which such evaluations are implemented 
                to ensure they continue to protect the national 
                interests of the United States.

``(c) Notwithstanding the requirements set forth in subsections (a) and (b) 
of this section, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with 
the Secretary of State, Attorney General, and the Director of National 
Intelligence, may, at any time, recommend that the President impose, 
modify, or terminate a suspension or limitation on entry on certain classes 
of foreign nationals to protect the national interests of the United 
States.''

                    (b) Section 5 of Proclamation 9645 is revoked.

                Sec. 4. Effective Date. This proclamation is effective 
                at 12:01 a.m. eastern standard time on February 21, 
                2020. With respect to the application of those 
                provisions of Proclamation 9645 that are incorporated 
                here through section 2 for countries designated in 
                section 1(b), and that contained their own effective 
                dates, those dates are correspondingly updated to be 
                January 31, 2020, or February 21, 2020, as appropriate.

                Sec. 5. Severability. It is the policy of the United 
                States to enforce this proclamation to the maximum 
                extent possible to advance the national security, 
                foreign policy, and counterterrorism interests of the 
                United States. Accordingly:

                    (a) if any provision of this proclamation, or the 
                application of any provision to any person or 
                circumstance, is held to be invalid, the remainder of 
                this proclamation and the application of its other 
                provisions to any other persons or circumstances shall 
                not be affected thereby; and
                    (b) if any provision of this proclamation, or the 
                application of any provision to any person or 
                circumstance, is held to be invalid because of the lack 
                of certain procedural requirements, the relevant 
                executive branch officials shall implement those 
                procedural requirements to conform with existing law 
                and with any applicable court orders.

[[Page 6707]]

                Sec. 6. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this 
                proclamation shall be construed to impair or otherwise 
                affect:

(i) United States Government obligations under applicable international 
agreements;

(ii) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or 
the head thereof; or

(iii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget 
relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

                    (b) This proclamation shall be implemented 
                consistent with applicable law and subject to the 
                availability of appropriations.
                    (c) This proclamation is not intended to, and does 
                not, create any right or benefit, substantive or 
                procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any 
                party against the United States, its departments, 
                agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or 
                agents, or any other person.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                thirty-first day of January, in the year of our Lord 
                two thousand twenty, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                fourth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2020-02422
Filed 2-4-20; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F0-P