The administration of President Donald Trump is contemplating an expansion of its existing travel ban, potentially prohibiting citizens from an additional 36 countries from entering the United States.
The information comes from a State Department memo that has been reviewed by the Washington Post.
The countries identified in the memo include a diverse range: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Ethiopia, Egypt, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Currently, restrictions are already in place for citizens from 12 countries, which include Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
The Trump administration asserts that the purpose of the travel ban is to safeguard the nation from what it describes as foreign terrorists and other national security threats.
Additionally, entry for citizens from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela is also partially restricted, as reported by the BBC.
According to the leaked memo, which is signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the State Department has flagged these 36 nations as countries of concern.
The memo elaborates on several issues regarding these nations, highlighting a need for “corrective action.”
It outlines that some countries lack a competent or cooperative central government capable of producing necessary identity and civil documents.
Furthermore, concerns have been raised about nationals from these countries who previously overstayed their visas in the United States.
An additional worry includes the involvement of some citizens in acts of terrorism on U.S. soil or their participation in antisemitic and anti-American activities.
The State Department has set a deadline for these 36 countries to develop an initial action plan to address these requirements, with a target date of 8 a.m. on Wednesday, as reported by the Washington Post.
As of now, it remains uncertain when the proposed travel ban regarding these additional countries would be implemented if the specified demands are not met.
In his first term, President Trump faced legal challenges while attempting to impose a travel ban on citizens from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, and Libya.
Ultimately, his third version of the travel ban was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.
The Biden administration later rescinded the travel ban.
During his 2024 campaign, President Trump pledged to reinstate the travel ban and expand it to include refugees from Gaza seeking entry into the United States.
In a September 2024 article with Time, President Trump stated, “Remember the famous travel ban? We didn’t take people from certain areas of the world. We’re not taking them from infested countries.”
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