The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is lifting the travel ban on the African country of Chad, effective Friday.
The ban, which took effect in September 2017, required Chad to complete a 180-day review process of its immigration and security practices.
“Since implementing these travel restrictions and the 180-day review process in September 2017, the Administration has recorded notable improvements in identity management and information sharing with foreign governments,” DHS officials said in a statement Tuesday.
The ban affected the ability of Chadians to get visas to travel to the United States.
DHS said that the new security standards that President Donald Trump have enacted have forced foreign governments to boost cooperation, including “improving sharing of data on terrorists and criminals, making travel documents more secure, and taking steps to crack down on identity fraud.”
Originally, Trump placed the ban on Chad after Chadian officials had issues supplying the United States with passport samples. The country also had difficulty in supplying the U.S. with information regarding potential terrorists.
As diplomatic relations with Chad improve, DHS said that Chad has become an important ally in the fight against Islamic terrorism. Currently, groups such as ISIS-West Africa, Boko Haram, and al-Shabaab all have a significant presence in the Lake Chad region.