The Trump administration has significantly expanded its travel ban, adding five new countries and imposing new limits on many others. This move tightens U.S. entry standards and follows the recent arrest of an Afghan national suspected of shooting two National Guard members. The policy revival is a hallmark of the administration’s first-term approach to immigration and security.
The expansion adds Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria to the list of countries whose citizens are banned from entering the United States. The administration also imposed a full restriction on travelers using Palestinian Authority-issued documents. An additional 15 countries face new partial restrictions.
Officials stated the restrictions target nations with issues that complicate vetting, including “widespread corruption, fraudulent or unreliable civil documents and criminal records.” The White House proclamation argues the limits are “necessary to prevent the entry of foreign nationals about whom the United States lacks sufficient information to assess the risks they pose.”
The administration also cited high visa overstay rates, refusal to accept deported citizens, and a “general lack of stability and government control” as reasons for the new restrictions. The policy expansion builds upon existing bans affecting 12 countries and restrictions on 7 others announced earlier this year.