Washington, D.C. — Former United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced a significant expansion of the US travel ban, barring nationals from seven additional countries — including Syria — as well as holders of Palestinian Authority passports from entering the United States.
In a proclamation issued by the White House, Trump said the move was aimed at preventing the entry of foreigners who “intend to threaten” Americans or who could “undermine or destabilize US culture, government, institutions or founding principles.”
The decision comes just days after two US troops and a civilian were killed in Syria. Syrian authorities later said the alleged attacker was a member of the country’s security forces who was scheduled for dismissal due to “extremist Islamist ideas.” Trump has recently sought to rehabilitate Syria’s international standing following the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.
Several of the newly affected countries are among Africa’s poorest nations. Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone and South Sudan have now been placed under a full US travel ban. Laos in Southeast Asia was also added to the list.
In addition, the Trump administration imposed partial travel restrictions on citizens of several other African countries, including Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation. Other African states facing partial restrictions are Angola, Benin, Gabon, The Gambia, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Mauritania, Senegal, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Caribbean nations with Black-majority populations — Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica — were also included under partial restrictions, alongside Tonga in the Pacific.
Notably, Angola, Senegal and Zambia had previously been highlighted by former President Joe Biden as key US partners in Africa and praised for their democratic commitments.
The proclamation formalizes what officials described as an informal ban already in place against Palestinian Authority passport holders. The administration said the decision aligns with US support for Israel amid growing recognition of a Palestinian state by Western countries such as France and Britain.
Somalia remains under a full travel ban, while other countries still facing complete restrictions include Afghanistan, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Sudan and Yemen.
Last month, Trump further tightened restrictions on Afghan nationals, ending a special program that allowed entry for Afghans who assisted US forces during the war against the Taliban. The move followed an incident in Washington in which an Afghan war veteran suffering from apparent post-traumatic stress disorder shot two National Guard troops.
The White House cited high crime rates and deficiencies in passport and record-keeping systems as justification for the expanded blacklist.
However, the administration acknowledged “significant progress” by Turkmenistan, which was previously targeted. Citizens of the Central Asian country will once again be eligible for US visas, though only for non-immigrant purposes.
The expanded travel ban is expected to fuel renewed criticism from civil rights groups, immigration advocates and African leaders, many of whom argue that the policy unfairly targets developing nations and disproportionately affects Africa.
Trump, however, has defended the move as necessary for national security, reinforcing his long-standing hardline stance on immigration as a cornerstone of his political agenda.
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