The new proclamation signed by US President Donald Trump expands an earlier list of 19 countries that were already subject to either full travel bans or partial entry restrictions. With the latest additions, the scope of the policy has widened significantly, bringing the total number of affected countries and entities to 39. The expanded list now also explicitly includes Palestinians and Syrians, marking one of the most extensive travel restriction measures introduced under the administration.
On Tuesday, President Trump approved a proclamation enforcing a complete travel ban on seven additional countries, along with Palestinians, while imposing partial entry restrictions on 15 more nations. The move was justified on grounds of national security concerns, public safety risks, weak identity verification and vetting mechanisms, and high rates of visa overstays. In total, 20 new countries and groups have been added, substantially enlarging the existing framework of travel prohibitions and limitations imposed by the United States.
According to a White House fact sheet, the proclamation introduces a full travel ban on Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria. Individuals holding travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority have also been brought under the ban. In addition, Laos and Sierra Leone, which were previously subject only to partial restrictions, now face a complete suspension of travel to the United States under the revised order.
The expanded travel ban and entry restrictions are scheduled to come into force on January 1. The announcement follows remarks made two weeks earlier by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who had indicated that the administration was planning to broaden the existing travel ban from 19 countries to more than 30, although she had not disclosed specific details at the time.
Before this proclamation, the United States had already imposed full travel bans on 12 countries: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. The latest decision represents a sharp escalation in the administration’s immigration and border control policies.
The move comes in the aftermath of several violent incidents cited by the administration to support tighter immigration controls. These include the November 26 killing of two National Guard members in Washington, DC, allegedly carried out by an Afghan national who entered the US following the 2021 withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan and was later granted asylum. The administration has repeatedly referenced this case as evidence of shortcomings in existing vetting processes. The decision also follows a December 13 Islamic State ambush in Syria that killed two US soldiers and an American civilian interpreter.
In addition to the complete bans, the proclamation imposes partial entry restrictions on nationals from 15 new countries: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. These restrictions typically limit certain visa categories rather than suspending travel entirely.
Partial entry restrictions will also remain in place for Burundi, Cuba, Togo, and Venezuela. Meanwhile, Turkmenistan is the only country to see a partial easing under the new order, with restrictions on non-immigrant visas for its nationals being lifted.
The White House cited multiple factors behind the expanded crackdown, including terrorist activity, ongoing internal conflicts, and consistently high visa overstay rates. Countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria were flagged for persistent terrorist threats, while others were highlighted in Department of Homeland Security reports for elevated overstay rates involving B-1/B-2 tourist visas and student visas.
Syria was singled out in particular due to what the administration described as the absence of an adequate central authority capable of issuing reliable passports or civil documents, a problem attributed to years of civil war and institutional collapse.
“The restrictions and limitations imposed by the Proclamation are necessary to prevent the entry of foreign nationals about whom the United States lacks sufficient information to assess the risks they pose,” the White House fact sheet stated. It added that the measures are intended to improve cooperation with foreign governments, strengthen enforcement of immigration laws, and advance broader foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism objectives.
The proclamation includes exemptions for lawful permanent residents, current visa holders, diplomats, athletes, and individuals whose entry is deemed to serve US national interests. It also retains provisions for case-by-case waivers, although the administration has narrowed broader family-based immigrant visa exemptions, citing concerns over fraud and abuse.
