U.S. Prepares to Expand Travel Ban, Targets Over Thirty Countries
(MENAFN) The Trump administration is reportedly preparing a significant broadening of its travel restrictions, potentially barring entry from an additional 36 countries, according to a confidential memo from the US State Department.
This memo, dated Saturday and signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, was obtained by a news outlet. It sets a 60-day deadline for the flagged nations to comply with a series of US security benchmarks, warning that failure to do so could result in total or partial visa prohibitions.
Among the 36 countries listed, 25 are African nations including key allies like Egypt, Ethiopia, and Djibouti. The list also spans regions such as Central Asia, the Caribbean, and the Pacific, naming countries like Syria, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, and Vanuatu.
The memo states that these countries are under scrutiny due to issues such as unreliable identity documents, rampant fraud in civil records, or a high incidence of visa overstays.
Additional concerns involve citizenship-by-investment schemes that do not require residency, alongside allegations of “antisemitic and anti-American activity in the United States.”
To avoid penalties, countries must submit an action plan by Wednesday at 8 a.m. (1200 GMT) and may need to agree to accept deported third-country nationals or enter into a “safe third country” agreement with the US.
This announcement follows the administration’s June 4 presidential proclamation, which imposed complete travel bans on 13 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, and Somalia, and partial restrictions on seven others. The proposed expansion represents a sharp intensification of current immigration policies.
Both the State Department and the White House have declined to comment on the reported plans.
Democratic lawmakers and civil rights organizations swiftly condemned the proposal, describing it as discriminatory and emphasizing the disproportionate targeting of African and Caribbean countries. Critics drew parallels to Trump’s previous travel bans, which faced widespread backlash.
Although former President Joe Biden repealed these bans during his presidency, Trump pledged to reinstate and widen them.
On Inauguration Day earlier this year, the White House issued an executive order directing federal agencies to identify countries with “deficient vetting and screening” procedures, paving the way for this recent initiative.
Trump has openly vowed that the travel restrictions will return “bigger than before.”
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