The Trump administration has announced a sweeping expansion of its travel ban, adding 20 more countries — including five facing a full entry ban — along with new restrictions on individuals traveling on Palestinian Authority-issued documents. The move, revealed on Tuesday, doubles the size of the earlier list released in June and marks one of the administration’s most extensive immigration crackdowns to date.
According to the announcement, citizens of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria, along with anyone traveling using Palestinian Authority passports, will now face a complete ban on travel to the United States. South Sudan, already subject to strict measures, now joins the full-ban category.
An additional 15 countries will face partial restrictions, limiting either tourism, immigration pathways, or both. These include Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Ivory Coast, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The expanded policy goes into effect on January 1, though people who already hold valid visas or fall under exempt categories — such as diplomats, athletes, lawful permanent residents, or individuals whose travel is deemed in the US national interest — will not be affected.
The administration justified the expansion by citing national security concerns, challenges in verifying civil documents, high rates of visa overstays, and what it described as instability or weak governance in several of the affected countries. Officials also pointed to the recent arrest of an Afghan national accused of shooting two National Guard troops near the White House as a trigger for tightening vetting processes.
The June version of the travel ban had already blocked entry for citizens from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, while imposing stricter checks on visitors from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
Tuesday’s announcement immediately sparked criticism from rights groups, immigration advocates, and international organizations. Laurie Ball Cooper of the International Refugee Assistance Project condemned the expansion, calling it “another attempt to demonize people simply for where they are from.” Advocacy groups representing Afghans who supported the US military expressed alarm, noting that the latest version removes special entry exceptions for Afghans eligible for Special Immigrant Visas — a group historically vetted more rigorously than most applicants.
Governments of newly affected nations, including Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda, said they were urgently seeking clarification from US officials on the implications of the new rules.
Despite some easing of restrictions for countries like Turkmenistan, most provisions from previous bans remain intact, with the overall policy now reaching well over 30 countries.
As debate intensifies, critics argue the ban is overly broad and politically motivated, while the administration insists it is essential for protecting national security amid global instability.
