Trump expands travel ban to 39 countries, adding five more and tightening restrictions

Trump expands travel ban to 39 countries, adding five more and tightening restrictions
U.S. President Donald Trump attends a Mexican Border Defense Medal presentation in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., December 15, 2025.
Reuters

The Trump administration has expanded its travel restrictions, now affecting a total of 39 countries.

The expansion comes after the arrest of an Afghan national accused of shooting two National Guard troops near the White House over Thanksgiving weekend, adding five more countries to the list and tightening restrictions on several others.

The countries newly added to the full travel ban are Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria. People holding Palestinian Authority-issued travel documents are also now fully restricted from entering the United States.

In addition, the administration imposed partial restrictions on citizens from 15 other countries, including Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The White House cited concerns over “widespread corruption, fraudulent or unreliable civil documents and criminal records,” as well as high rates of visa overstays and limited cooperation from foreign governments, as reasons for the expanded measures. Officials said the restrictions are “necessary to prevent the entry of foreign nationals about whom the United States lacks sufficient information to assess the risks they pose” and to support national security and counterterrorism objectives.

President Trump first revived his travel ban in June, covering 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Libya, Somalia and Yemen, with partial restrictions on seven others.

The Afghan suspect accused in the National Guard shooting has pleaded not guilty to murder and assault charges.

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