Trump extends US travel ban and restrictions to 20 other countries – National
The Trump administration announced on Tuesday that it has extended travel restrictions to 20 other countries and the Palestinian Authority, doubling the number of countries affected by the shocking restrictions announced earlier this year on who can travel and immigrate to the US.
The Trump administration added five more countries and people traveling on documents issued by the Palestinian Authority to the list of countries facing a comprehensive ban on travel to the US and imposed new restrictions on 15 other countries.
The move is part of the administration’s ongoing efforts to tighten US immigration and travel standards, which critics say unfairly restricts the flow of people from various countries. The administration suggested it would expand the restrictions after the arrest of an Afghan national suspect in the shooting of two National Guard soldiers over the Thanksgiving weekend.
Individuals who already have visas, are legal US citizens or have certain categories of visas such as ambassadors or athletes, or whose entry into the country is believed to serve US interests are all exempt from the restrictions. It was not clear when the new restrictions would come into effect.
In June, President Donald Trump announced that citizens of 12 countries would be barred from coming to the United States and those from seven others would face restrictions. This decision revived a notable policy of his first term.
At that time the ban included Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen and extended the restrictions to visitors from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
On Tuesday, the Republican administration announced that it is expanding the list of countries whose citizens are banned from entering the US to Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria.
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The administration also fully restricted the travel of people with travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority, the latest US travel restriction on Palestinians. South Sudan also faced significant travel restrictions.
An additional 15 countries were also added to the list of countries facing certain restrictions: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Ivory Coast, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The restrictions apply to both people who want to go to the US as tourists or immigrate there.
The Trump administration said in its announcement that many of the countries it was banning were “rife with corruption, fraudulent or unreliable documents and criminal records” that made it difficult to vet their citizens to visit the US.
It also said some countries have high rates of overstaying their visas, refuse to return citizens the US wants to deport or have “a lack of stability and government control,” making it difficult to vote. It also cited immigration enforcement, foreign policy and national security concerns for the move.
The Afghan man accused of shooting two National Guard soldiers near the White House has pleaded not guilty to murder and assault. After the incident, the administration announced a number of immigration restrictions, including some restrictions on people from those 19 countries already in the US.
News of the expanded travel ban is likely to face strong opposition from critics who say the administration is using national security concerns to deport people from various countries.
“This expanded ban is not about national security but instead is another shameful attempt to demonize people simply because of where they are from,” said Laurie Ball Cooper, Vice President of US Legal Programs at the International Refugee Assistance Project.
The Trump administration has also improved restrictions on some countries – Laos and Sierra Leone – which were previously on the restricted list and in another case – Turkmenistan – said the country has progressed enough to warrant the easing of certain restrictions on travelers from that country. Everything else from the previous policies announced in June remains in effect, officials said.
The new restrictions on Palestinians come months after the administration imposed restrictions that made it nearly impossible for anyone holding a Palestinian Authority passport to obtain travel documents to visit the US for business, work, pleasure or educational purposes. Tuesday’s announcement goes further, barring people with Palestinian Authority passports from immigrating to the US
In confirming their decision on Tuesday, the administration said “US-designated terrorist groups are actively operating in the West Bank or Gaza Strip and killing American citizens.” The administration also said that recent fighting in those areas “may have resulted in a decline in reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities.”
© 2025 The Canadian Press
