Travel restrictions to US airports remain in place for next week

OREGON — The US Department of Transportation announced Monday that flights from five major airports will be limited to a maximum of three hours on Monday, but that those arriving from any other country will be allowed to board on an as-needed basis.

The restrictions were announced by Transportation Secretary Mary Schiavo on Monday evening.

The department said all passengers and cargo arriving from Canada, Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands will be subject to a “temporary restriction” from the time of their arrival in the United States until their destination is clear.

The department also announced that all passengers from the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas and other countries will be prohibited from landing at US airports in the coming days.

The restrictions are effective from Monday, Oct. 16 through Wednesday, Oct 25.

The ban applies to US domestic flights, but passengers from Mexico, Guatemala, Jamaica, the Marshall Islands, the US and Guam will be exempt from the restrictions.

Schiava said the US will also have limited access to Canadian, Mexican, Dominican Republic and other Caribbean countries, though it has a limited number of flights each day from those countries.

The announcement came after a series of high-profile deaths involving Mexican nationals who had traveled to the US to seek asylum.

Schiva said Monday that it was “unfortunate that these people had to die as a result of these senseless acts of violence.”

She said the U.S. government would work to bring those individuals to justice.

Officials said they are working to identify and remove those involved in the killings of Mexican nationals and have offered $2 million in restitution to the families of those killed.