President Donald Trump has expanded a US travel ban, barring nationals of five additional countries and people travelling on Palestinian Authority-issued documents from entering the US.
The White House stated the restrictions were intended to protect the security of the United States and will come into force on 1 January.
Full-entry restrictions will be imposed on individuals from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria, as well as Palestinian Authority passport holders.
The administration also moved Laos and Sierra Leone, which were previously subject to partial restrictions, to the full ban list and placed partial restrictions on 15 other countries, including Nigeria, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.
Trump, who has tightened immigration controls since returning to the White House in January, said the expanded travel ban was necessary due to described failures in screening and vetting systems overseas. Officials pointed to high visa overstay rates, unreliable civil records, corruption, terrorist activity, and a lack of cooperation in accepting deported nationals.
This announcement follows the arrest of an Afghan national suspected of shooting two National Guard troops during the Thanksgiving weekend, an incident the White House referenced to underscore its security concerns.
This marks the third iteration of Trump's travel ban, originally introduced in 2017, which sparked both protests and legal challenges. The policy was later upheld by the US Supreme Court.
The White House mentioned that the restrictions would remain until affected countries demonstrate credible improvements in identity management, information-sharing, and cooperation with US immigration authorities.
A number of exceptions apply; the ban does not affect lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders, diplomats, or athletes traveling for major sporting events. Case-by-case waivers will also be available where travel is deemed to be in the national interest.
Countries with full restrictions:
- Afghanistan
- Burkina Faso
- Burma
- Chad
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Haiti
- Iran
- Laos
- Libya
- Mali
- Niger
- Republic of the Congo
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Syria
- Yemen
- Individuals traveling on Palestinian Authority-issued travel documents
Partial restrictions:
- Angola
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Benin
- Burundi
- Côte d'Ivoire
- Cuba
- Dominica
- Gabon
- The Gambia
- Malawi
- Mauritania
- Nigeria
- Senegal
- Tanzania
- Togo
- Tonga
- Venezuela
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Special case: Turkmenistan (restrictions remain for immigrants but have been lifted for non-immigrant visas).
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