US Expands Travel Ban to 39 Nations Citing National Security Concerns

WASHINGTON D.C. — President Donald Trump has signed a sweeping new proclamation that nearly doubles the number of countries subject to U.S. travel restrictions. Citing urgent national security concerns and high visa overstay rates, the administration added 20 new entries to the restricted list, bringing the total to 39 nations.

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The new measures are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026.

New Complete Travel Bans

The administration has imposed a total ban on entry for seven new entities, citing “weak vetting systems” and internal instability.

• New Additions: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria.
• Status Upgrades: Laos and Sierra Leone (moved from partial to full bans).
• Palestinian Inclusion: For the first time, individuals traveling on Palestinian Authority-issued documents face a complete entry ban.

New Partial Entry Restrictions

Partial restrictions—which typically target specific visa types—have been applied to 15 additional nations:

Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Existing Partial Restrictions: Controls remain in place for Burundi, Cuba, Togo, and Venezuela.

Policy Easing: Turkmenistan is the sole nation to see a relaxation of rules, with restrictions on non-immigrant visas now lifted.

Rationale: Security and “Vetting”

The White House and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) pointed to several recent events as the catalyst for this escalation:

1. Domestic Attacks: The November 26 killing of two National Guard members in D.C. by an Afghan national (who had been granted asylum) prompted a review of vetting procedures.
2. Foreign Ambush: The December 13 Islamic State attack in Syria that killed two U.S. soldiers and a civilian interpreter.
3. Administrative Gaps: Officials singled out Syria for its lack of a “central authority” to verify civil documents.
4. Visa Compliance: Several nations were flagged due to high rates of students and tourists (B-1/B-2) overstaying their legal terms.

Exemptions and Waivers

Despite the broad scope, the proclamation includes specific carve-outs to maintain essential international functions:

• Protected Groups: Lawful permanent residents (Green Card holders), current valid visa holders, and diplomats are exempt.
• Special Interests: Provisions exist for professional athletes and individuals whose entry is deemed in the “national interest.”
• Case-by-Case Waivers: The government maintains the ability to grant individual waivers, though family-based immigrant “carve-outs” have been narrowed to prevent fraud.