Since coming back to the Oval Office, President Donald Trump has revived one of his most polarizing signature policies.
This month, the 79-year-old implemented a new order barring entry to the U.S. for citizens of 12 countries spanning four continents. The full ban applies to Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
Additionally, seven more nations, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela, now face tightened entry restrictions based on visa types and vetting status.
Trump cited national security and terrorism concerns for the move. “Very simply, we cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen those who seek to enter the United States,” he said. “We will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm.”
Now, an additional 36 countries are on the verge of being added unless they meet strict security standards within 60 days.
These include Angola, Antigua and Barbudam, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Ethiopia, Egypt, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
While previous visas remain valid, new applications from citizens of banned countries will be automatically denied unless applicants fall under narrowly defined exceptions.
Afghan nationals holding Special Immigrant Visas, lawful permanent US residents, and dual nationals from non-banned countries are still allowed to travel.
A specific exemption has also been carved out for athletes and officials participating in major sporting events like the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 LA Olympics.
Athletes, coaches, support teams, and immediate families will be admitted, but not fans from banned countries. Nicole Hoevertsz, vice president of the International Olympic Committee, said she’s been assured that participants will be able to enter the country.
Critics have argued that the expanded travel ban disproportionately targets non-white, non-Western nations.
“This policy is not about national security – it is about sowing division and vilifying communities that are seeking safety and opportunity in the United States,” said Oxfam America president Abby Maxman, per The Guardian.
Mikhail Nyamweya, a political analyst, warned that “the disproportionate impact on African nations would institutionalize a perception of Africans as outsiders in the global order”.
Although Trump’s first ban in 2017 drew massive protests, this version has flown slightly under the radar. That earlier ban, which focused on seven Muslim-majority nations, was struck down and then partially upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018. President Joe Biden repealed it in 2021, calling it “a stain on our national conscience”.
But Trump insists his hardline approach works: “It is the policy of the United States to protect its citizens from aliens who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten our national security, espouse hateful ideology, or otherwise exploit the immigration laws for malevolent purposes.”
His administration said countries can still be removed from the list if they meet new US vetting standards. But for now, the message is clear: comply, or be cut off.
