Trump Expands U.S. Travel Ban, Adds Five Countries and Broadens Entry Restrictions

‎President Donald Trump on Tuesday expanded a U.S. travel ban by adding five more countries and imposing additional limits on others, according to a White House proclamation outlining updated entry restrictions.

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‎The action reflects continued efforts by the Trump administration to tighten U.S. entry requirements and immigration standards, citing national security, foreign policy, and counterterrorism objectives as guiding considerations.

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‎President Donald Trump expands the U.S. travel ban, adding five countries, broadening suspensions, and tightening visa and vetting rules.

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‎“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 proclamation states, referencing cooperation with foreign governments and enforcement of U.S. immigration laws.

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‎Citizens from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria, along with individuals holding Palestinian-Authority-issued travel documents, will face a ban on travel to the United States, the White House said. Existing partial bans on Laos and Sierra Leone were also expanded into full suspensions of entry.

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‎Another group of 15 countries will face partial restrictions under the proclamation. The countries listed include Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

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‎The proclamation also narrows certain family-based immigrant visa carve-outs that officials say carry demonstrated fraud risks, while preserving case-by-case waivers, according to the White House announcement.

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‎Administration officials said many of the affected countries experience widespread corruption, unreliable civil documents, incomplete criminal records, or nonexistent birth-registration systems, complicating vetting processes. Other concerns cited include limited sharing of law-enforcement data and the use of citizenship-by-investment programs that obscure identity and bypass vetting requirements.

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‎Earlier in June, Trump announced a U.S. entry ban on citizens of 12 countries: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Additional restrictions were tightened at that time for Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.

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‎Tuesday’s decision follows the arrest of an Afghan national suspected of shooting two National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C., during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was described by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem as among Afghans paroled into the United States under Operation Allies Welcome.

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‎Lakanwal is accused of shooting U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, who later died, and U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, who is recovering, according to officials.