Trump Expands Travel Bans Targeting 12 High-Risk Countries, Including Nigeria, Syria, and Burkina Faso, to Boost National Security
President Donald J. Trump has signed a proclamation expanding U.S. entry restrictions on nationals from countries with persistent vetting and information-sharing deficiencies to protect national security and public safety.
Full restrictions remain on the original 12 high-risk countries,Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen and are extended to Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, Syria, Laos, Sierra Leone, and holders of Palestinian Authority travel documents. Partial restrictions continue for Burundi, Cuba, Togo, and Venezuela, and are newly applied to 15 other countries including Angola, Nigeria, and Zambia. Turkmenistan’s nonimmigrant visa ban is lifted due to improved cooperation, though immigrant entry remains restricted.
Exceptions cover lawful permanent residents, current visa holders, diplomats, athletes, and entries serving U.S. national interests. Family-based visa carve-outs have been narrowed to reduce fraud while allowing case-by-case waivers.
The restrictions target countries with high visa overstay rates, terrorism, weak governance, inadequate documentation, and refusal to repatriate nationals, ensuring entrants can be properly vetted and supporting U.S. immigration, foreign policy, and counterterrorism goals.
The proclamation builds on Trump’s first-term travel restrictions, upheld by the Supreme Court, aimed at preventing entry of individuals who cannot be adequately vetted and encouraging foreign nations to improve security practices.