The Trump administration has expanded its travel ban policy, formally blocking entry for citizens of five additional countries and fully restricting travel for people using Palestinian-Authority-issued documents, while imposing new partial limits on 15 other nations.
The decision, unveiled Tuesday, is part of what the White House describes as an effort to “tighten US entry standards” following the arrest of an Afghan national suspected in the Thanksgiving weekend shooting of two National Guard troops near the White House.
Officials say the expanded Trump travel ban is intended to address security risks posed by countries where US authorities “lack sufficient information to assess the risks” associated with visitors.
Background: Earlier Trump Travel Ban Lists
In June, Donald Trump had already announced a ban on citizens from 12 countries, with nationals from seven others facing heightened restrictions rather than a full prohibition. That earlier list barred travel from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
At the same time, entry rules were tightened for people from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela, subjecting them to visa and screening restrictions instead of an outright ban.
Full Ban: Palestine and Five New Countries Added
Under the latest proclamation, the administration has expanded outright bans to include Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria. In one of the most politically sensitive moves, the White House also fully restricted travel for individuals using Palestinian-Authority-issued documents, effectively barring most Palestinians from entering the United States except under narrow, case-by-case exemptions.
Officials argue these countries face issues such as widespread corruption, fraudulent or unreliable civil documents, and criminal record gaps that undermine US vetting efforts. They also cite high visa overstay rates and, in some cases, governments’ refusal to accept deported nationals.
Taken together, the original 12 banned countries, the five newly added nations, and the Palestinian document category move the Trump travel ban closer to what critics describe as a “30-country list.” The White House maintains that the criteria are “global and fact-based,” pointing to instability and weak government controls that complicate identity verification and risk assessment.
Partial Restrictions: 15 Countries Face New Visa Limits
The proclamation also adds 15 countries to a list facing partial travel restrictions: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Rather than full bans, these measures typically involve stricter visa screening, limits on certain visa categories, or additional travel conditions such as waivers and enhanced documentation.
The administration says these countries have high US visa overstay rates, weak identity-management systems, or inconsistent cooperation with US immigration enforcement.
White House Justification and Legal Outlook
In the proclamation, the White House frames the expanded restrictions as necessary to “garner cooperation from foreign governments, enforce our immigration laws, and advance other important foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism objectives.”
Officials say countries could be removed from the list if they improve information-sharing, document integrity, and cooperation on deportations.
Legal challenges are expected, as civil-rights groups and immigration advocates argue the new measures revive the logic of earlier travel bans and overextend executive authority on immigration.
