US expands travel ban to more than 30 countries

The United States is preparing to impose travel restrictions on citizens of more than 30 additional countries, US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has confirmed.

During an interview with Fox News on Thursday, December 4, Noem was asked whether President Donald Trump’s administration intended to expand the current travel-restriction list to 32 countries. She responded, “I won’t give a specific number, but it’s more than 30. The President is assessing several additional countries.”

In June, President Trump issued a proclamation barring entry for citizens of 12 countries and placing travel limits on seven others, citing national security concerns and the risk posed by foreign terrorist threats. The restrictions apply to all types of travelers, including immigrants, tourists, students, and business visitors.

Noem argued that the US should not admit citizens from countries with unstable governments or weak identification systems. “If they cannot identify their own citizens, why should we allow them into the United States?” she said.

A previous Reuters report revealed that the administration is considering adding as many as 36 countries to the restriction list, based on an internal State Department document.

If enacted, the expansion would represent one of the administration’s most significant immigration actions following last week’s killing of two National Guard members in Washington, DC. Investigators say an Afghan national, who entered the US in 2021 under a resettlement program the Trump administration has long criticized for inadequate vetting, was involved in the attack.

After the incident, President Trump announced that he intends to permanently halt immigration from all “third-world countries,” though he did not clarify which nations he was referring to.

Meanwhile, under Trump’s direction, the Department of Homeland Security has started reviewing asylum approvals granted during the Biden administration and re-evaluating green cards issued to citizens of 19 countries.

Source: Reuters