Photo: Alamy
The Trump administration announced Tuesday that it is expanding U.S. travel restrictions to an additional 20 countries and to people traveling on documents issued by the Palestinian Authority, expanding limits imposed earlier this year.
Under the new policy, five additional countries and holders of Palestinian Authority travel documents will face a full ban on entry to the United States, while new partial restrictions will apply to travelers from 15 other countries. The administration said the move is part of broader efforts to tighten U.S. entry standards for both travel and immigration.
The announcement follows earlier signals that restrictions could be widened after the arrest of an Afghan national accused of shooting two National Guard troops over Thanksgiving weekend.
People who already hold U.S. visas, lawful permanent residents, and certain categories, such as diplomats, athletes, or individuals deemed to serve U.S. interests, will be exempt. Officials did not immediately say when the expanded restrictions would take effect.
In June, President Donald Trump announced bans on travelers from 12 countries and partial restrictions on seven others, reviving a signature policy from his first term. Those countries included Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, with heightened restrictions on Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
The new full bans will apply to travelers from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria, along with people using Palestinian Authority-issued travel documents. South Sudan had already faced significant limits.
Partial restrictions will now apply to travelers from Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Ivory Coast, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The restrictions affect both visitors and those seeking to immigrate.
The administration said many of the affected countries have “widespread corruption, fraudulent or unreliable civil documents and criminal records,” as well as high visa overstay rates, refusal to accept deported citizens, or instability that complicates vetting. Officials also cited immigration enforcement, foreign policy and national security concerns.
The administration said it upgraded restrictions on Laos and Sierra Leone, while easing some limits on travelers from Turkmenistan, which it said had improved compliance. All other provisions from the June announcement remain in effect.
