The Trump administration on Tuesday announced a major expansion of its travel ban, adding several new countries to the list and tightening entry rules for others. The decision is part of a broader push to strengthen immigration and security controls at US borders.
Officials, cited by AP, said the move follows the arrest of an Afghan national suspected of shooting two National Guard members during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend near the White House in Washington. The incident sparked a massive outrage with authorities introducing fresh curbs on illegal immigration.
List of countries facing complete ban/heightened entry rules
Earlier in June, US President Donald Trump blocked visitors from 12 countries and imposed restrictions on travellers from seven more.
Under the earlier announcement, citizens from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen were banned from entering the country. At the same time, stricter limits were placed on travellers from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
The administration has now expanded the full travel ban to include Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria. In addition, people travelling on documents issued by the Palestinian Authority will now face a complete restriction on entry.
Partial travel limits have also been extended to 15 more countries. These include Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Ivory Coast, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The White House said the updated measures are aimed at tightening entry standards and ensuring stronger security checks for those seeking to travel to the United States.
White House shooting
West Virginia National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, was fatally shot, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, sustained serious injuries during a shooting that occurred on November 26, before Thanksgiving. Authorities arrested a 29-year-old man, Lakanwal, who now faces a charge of first-degree murder.
Prior to immigrating to the United States, Lakanwal had been a member of an Afghan Army “Zero Unit,” an elite force that frequently operated alongside American military personnel. He arrived in the US in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. He later made his home in Bellingham, Washington, where he lived with his wife and their five young sons.
However, emails to the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) indicated that he was struggling to adjust to life in America.
