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The Donald Trump administration expanded the travel ban to over 30 countries now as part of its ongoing crackdown on immigration after the arrest of an Afghan national suspect in the shooting of two National Guard troops over Thanksgiving weekend. In June, President Donald Trump announced that citizens of 12 countries would be banned from visiting the United States and those from seven others would face restrictions.The Trump administration said in its announcement of the expanded travel ban that many of the countries from which it was restricting travel had “widespread corruption, fraudulent or unreliable civil documents and criminal records” that made it difficult to vet their citizens for travel to the U.S. It also said some countries had high rates of people overstaying their visas, refused to take back their citizens who the U.S. wished to deport or had a “general lack of stability and government control,” which made vetting difficult.
US travel ban: What the new proclamation says
- The new proclamation continues full restrictions and entry limitations of nationals from the original 12 high-risk countries: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
- It adds full restrictions and entry limitations on five additional countries based on recent analysis: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria, as well as individuals holding Palestinian-Authority-issued travel documents.
- The new order imposes full restrictions and entry limitations on two countries that were previously subject to partial restrictions: Laos and Sierra Leone.
- It continues partial restrictions on nationals from four of the seven original high-risk countries: Burundi, Cuba, Togo, and Venezuela.
- The new proclamation lifts the existing ban on non-immigrant visas from Turkmenistan as it has engaged productively with the United States.
- This adds partial restrictions and entry limitations on 15 additional countries: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
- The proclamation includes exceptions for lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders, certain visa categories like athletes and diplomats, and individuals whose entry serves U.S. national interests.
- The proclamation also narrows broad family-based immigrant visa carve-outs that carry demonstrated fraud risks, while preserving case-by-case waivers.
List of all the countries and what kind of travel ban they have
Original 12 countries
- Afghanistan
- Burma
- Chad
- Republic of the Congo
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Haiti
- Iran
- Libya
- Somalia
- Sudan
- Yemen
Newly added countries
- Burkina Faso
- Mali
- Niger
- South Sudan
- Syria
Also includedIndividuals holding Palestinian Authority issued travel documents
Countries upgraded from partial to full restrictions
LaosSierra Leone
Countries under partial entry restrictions
Previously listedNewly added 15
- Angola
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Benin
- Cote d’Ivoire
- Dominica
- Gabon
- The Gambia
- Malawi
- Mauritania
- Nigeria
- Senegal
- Tanzania
- Tonga
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
