Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Dec 17: The Donald Trump administration on Tuesday announced a major expansion of US travel restrictions, adding 20 more countries and the Palestinian Authority to the list, effectively doubling the number of nations affected by sweeping curbs imposed earlier this year.
Under the revised proclamation, citizens of five additional countries — Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria — will face a full ban on travel to the United States. In addition, people travelling on documents issued by the Palestinian Authority have also been placed under a complete restriction. South Sudan was already subject to significant travel curbs.
Further, partial travel restrictions have been imposed on 15 more countries: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Ivory Coast, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The restrictions apply to both short-term visitors and those seeking to immigrate to the US, and will come into effect from January 1.
The latest move follows the arrest of an Afghan national accused of shooting two National Guard troops near the White House over the Thanksgiving weekend. The administration said the decision was part of broader efforts to tighten immigration and entry standards, citing national security, immigration enforcement and foreign policy concerns.
However, people who already hold valid visas, lawful permanent residents, diplomats, athletes and individuals whose entry is deemed to be in US national interest will be exempted.
In June, President Trump had announced a travel ban on citizens of 12 countries — Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen — while imposing partial restrictions on visitors from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. That decision revived one of the most controversial policies from Trump’s first term.
The administration justified the expansion by stating that several of the affected countries suffer from “widespread corruption, unreliable civil and criminal records, high visa overstay rates, refusal to accept deported nationals, or lack of government stability,” making proper vetting difficult.
It also cited the presence of US-designated terrorist organisations in regions such as the West Bank and Gaza Strip, alleging that compromised screening mechanisms due to ongoing conflict pose risks to American security.
The decision has drawn sharp criticism from rights groups and immigration advocates. Laurie Ball Cooper of the International Refugee Assistance Project said the expanded ban was “not about national security” but an attempt to unfairly target people based on nationality.
Advocacy groups working with Afghan allies also expressed concern that the revised policy no longer clearly exempts Afghans eligible for the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV), a category meant for those who assisted US forces during the two-decade-long war in Afghanistan.
“No One Left Behind”, an organisation supporting SIV applicants, said it was “deeply concerned”, warning that the move could block entry for some of the most thoroughly vetted individuals who had risked their lives to support the US mission.
Several affected countries reacted cautiously, saying they were seeking clarity from US authorities. Dominica said it was treating the matter with “utmost seriousness”, while Antigua and Barbuda’s ambassador to the US described the development as “quite serious” and said discussions with American officials were underway.
The administration also announced adjustments to earlier restrictions, tightening curbs on Laos and Sierra Leone, while easing some limitations on Turkmenistan, citing improved compliance. All other provisions of the June proclamation remain unchanged.
The expanded ban on Palestinians goes further than earlier measures, effectively barring holders of Palestinian Authority passports from emigrating to the United States, a move that is expected to draw further international criticism.