In brief
President Donald Trump has officially announced an expansion of the US travel ban, effective January 1, impacting nationals from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria, as well as those traveling on Palestinian Authority-issued documents. This decision aims to bolster US security amid perceptions of inadequate vetting and screening processes. The White House has also upgraded Laos and Sierra Leone to full restrictions, while maintaining partial bans on fifteen other nations. Exceptions will apply for lawful permanent residents and certain visa holders.
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 said 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 people 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 put 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, stated that the expanded travel ban was necessary due to what his administration described as failures in screening and vetting systems overseas.
Officials cited high visa overstay rates, unreliable civil records, corruption, terrorist activity, and a lack of cooperation in accepting deported nationals.
The announcement follows the arrest of an Afghan national suspected of shooting two National Guard troops over the Thanksgiving weekend, an incident highlighted by the White House to emphasize its security concerns.
This is the third time Trump has imposed a travel ban. During his first term, he introduced a similar order in 2017, which sparked protests and legal challenges both domestically and internationally. The policy was later upheld by the US Supreme Court.
The White House stated that the restrictions will remain in place until affected countries demonstrate 'credible improvements' in identity management, information-sharing, and cooperation with US immigration authorities.
A number of exceptions apply and the ban will not affect lawful permanent residents, many existing visa holders, diplomats, or athletes travelling for major sporting events. Officials indicated that case-by-case waivers would 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 travelling on Palestinian Authority-issued or endorsed travel documents are also subject to a full suspension of entry
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).
