Rubio pushes visa ban for nationals from Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone

Sen. Marco Rubio, Florida Republican, says he plans to introduce legislation to temporarily ban new visas for nationals of West African countries hardest hit by the Ebola virus.

“While Ebola’s deadly reach has proven to be a complex and unique international challenge, the many uncertainties surrounding this virus continue to threaten U.S. national security,” Mr. Rubio said. “Our biggest priority is ensuring that sufficient safeguards are in place to limit the spread of Ebola, contain it at the source, and protect Americans.”

The proposed ban on new visas for nationals of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone comes as the World Health Organization (WHO) announced Monday that Nigeria, the African continent’s most populous country, is free of Ebola.

The ban would be put in place immediately and remain in effect until the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) certifies the outbreak is contained. New countries where the outbreak reaches significant levels would also be subject to the ban, which would exempt individuals approved to travel to the U.S. for Ebola-related training.

Mr. Rubio plans to introduce the ban once the Senate comes back in November.
“We must take any and all necessary precautions to contain this virus – and common sense restrictions on travel from countries now confronting this epidemic is an important step,” Mr. Rubio said.

Many Republicans, and some Democrats, have called for some form of travel restrictions from the countries most afflicted by the Ebola virus, but government officials have said an outright travel ban could force people with the virus underground and prevent needed supplies from reaching people in the affected countries.

Mr. Rubio, though, said such a ban wouldn’t completely cut off the affected countries.

“The most effective way to combat this deadly virus is to address it at its source,” he said. “This ban on issuance of visas does not mean we will be completely cutting off the affected countries from the outside world. We must continue to increase our assistance to those countries as they struggle to contain this outbreak. That is, ultimately, the only way we will be able to stop this outbreak and keep Americans safe from this horrible disease.”