Trump expands US travel ban to new countries

President Donald Trump expanded the US travel ban, barring citizens of five countries and those traveling with documents issued by the Palestinian Authority from entering the United States.

The White House said the restrictions are aimed at “protecting the security of the United States” and will go into effect on January 1.

Full entry restrictions will apply to citizens of 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. full ban list It imposed partial restrictions on 15 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 because of what he described as failures in his administration’s screening and vetting systems abroad.

Authorities cited high visa overstay rates, unreliable civil records, corruption, terrorist activities and a lack of cooperation in accepting deported citizens.

The announcement followed the arrest of an Afghan national suspected of shooting two National Guard soldiers over Thanksgiving weekend, an incident the White House pointed to while highlighting security concerns.

This is the third time Trump has imposed a travel ban.

During his first term, he issued a similar executive order in 2017, which sparked protests and legal challenges at home and abroad. The policy was later upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The White House said the restrictions will remain in place until affected countries show “credible improvements” in identity management, information sharing and cooperation with U.S. immigration authorities.

A number of exceptions apply and the ban will not affect lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders, diplomats or athletes traveling for major sporting events. Waivers may also be granted on a case-by-case basis when travel is in the national interest, officials said.

Countries with full restrictions:

• Afghanistan
• Burkina Faso
• Burma
• Chad
• Equatorial Guinea
• Eritrea
• Haiti
• Iranian
• Laos
• Libya
• Financial
• Niger
• Republic of the Congo
• Sierra Leone
• Somalia
• South Sudan
• Sudan
• Syria
• Yemen
• Persons traveling with travel documents issued or approved by the Palestinian Authority will also have their entry completely suspended.

Partial restrictions:

• Angola
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Benin
• Burundi
• Ivory Coast
• Cuba
• Dominica
• Gabon
• Gambia
• Malawi
• Mauritania
• Nigeria
• Senegal
• Tanzania
• Togo
• tonga
• Venezuelan
• Zambia
• zimbabwe

Special case:

• Turkmenistan (restrictions remain for immigrants but have been lifted for non-immigrant visas)