The Trump administration on Tuesday announced a significant expansion of its global travel restrictions, adding 20 nations and the Palestinian Authority to its existing list of sanctioned territories. The move effectively doubles the number of affected countries from 19 to 39, sparking immediate outcry from legal advocates and foreign diplomats.
The new proclamation, scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2025, elevates five more countries to a “full ban” status and imposes new limitations on 15 others. Notably, the policy now bars holders of Palestinian Authority documents from emigrating to the United States, an escalation of previous limits that already restricted temporary business and tourist travel for those individuals.
The New List of Restrictions
According to the administration, the expansion follows a review of national security and vetting protocols. The specific changes are as follows:
- Full Travel Ban Added: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria.
- New Partial Restrictions: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Ivory Coast, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
- Status Upgrades/Changes: Restrictions were tightened for Laos and Sierra Leone, while Turkmenistan saw some easing of its previous limits due to improved compliance.
These nations join the 12 countries already under a full ban since June including Afghanistan, Iran, Libya, and Somalia and seven others under heightened scrutiny.
Justification and Exemptions
The administration defended the move as a necessity for national security and immigration enforcement. Officials cited “widespread corruption,” “unreliable civil documents,” and high visa overstay rates as primary factors. The proclamation also highlighted a lack of government stability in several affected regions, which allegedly makes it impossible for U.S. agencies to properly vet travelers.
“This is about ensuring we know exactly who is entering our country,” the administration stated, noting that some countries have refused to accept the return of their citizens whom the U.S. seeks to deport.
However, the ban is not absolute. Exemptions remain in place for:
- Lawful permanent residents (Green Card holders).
- Individuals with valid current visas.
- Diplomats and certain professional athletes.
- Cases deemed to be in the “U.S. national interest.”
Global and Domestic Backlash
Critics were quick to condemn the expansion, labeling it a discriminatory tool rather than a security measure. Laurie Ball Cooper, Vice President of U.S. Legal Programs at the International Refugee Assistance Project, called the move a “shameful attempt to demonize people simply for where they are from.”
Advocacy groups for Afghan allies also expressed alarm, noting that the updated ban appears to remove the previous exception for Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants those who risked their lives to assist the U.S. military during the 20-year war in Afghanistan.
Internationally, governments are scrambling to assess the impact. The island nation of Dominica stated it is treating the matter with “utmost seriousness and urgency,” while Antigua and Barbuda’s ambassador to the U.S., Ronald Saunders, confirmed he will seek immediate clarification from U.S. officials.
The restrictions apply to both temporary visitors and those seeking to settle permanently in the United States.
