The Trump administration is considering a significant expansion of its travel ban policy potentially targeting citizens from 36 additional countries. This follows a June 4 proclamation that already placed 12 nations under a full entry ban and imposed partial visa restrictions on 7 others .
Background Existing Travel Restrictions
Under Presidential Proclamation 10949 effective June 9 2025 the US enacted
Full bans on citizens from
Afghanistan Chad Republic of the Congo Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Haiti Iran Libya Myanmar Somalia Sudan and Yemen
Partial restrictions on visitor and student visas for
Burundi Cuba Laos Sierra Leone Togo Turkmenistan and Venezuela
The US government cites inadequate identity verification weak passport controls high visa overstay rates and terrorism concerns as justification
Proposed Expansion Whats Changing
An internal State Department memo signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio places 36 countries under review. These nations are being asked to comply with stricter US immigration security standards within 60 days or face partial or full entry bans
Key US Demands
Secure and verifiable identitypassport systems
- Willingness to accept deported nationals
- Reduction of visa overstays
- Crackdowns on terrorism and antiUSantisemitic activity linked to citizens
- Countries Under Scrutiny
The 36 countries span Africa the Caribbean Asia and the Pacific
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Africa 25 countries
Angola Benin Burkina Faso Cabo Verde Cameroon Côte dIvoire Democratic Republic of the Congo Djibouti Egypt Ethiopia Gabon The Gambia Ghana GuineaBissau Ivory Coast Liberia Malawi Mauritania Niger Nigeria São Tomé and Príncipe Senegal South Sudan Tanzania Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe .
Caribbean 4
Antigua and Barbuda Dominica Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia
Asia 4
Bhutan Cambodia Kyrgyzstan Syria
Pacific Islands 3
Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu
While minor discrepancies exist across source lists the above 36 are consistently named
Deadline and Compliance
Per the June 14 cable countries were required to submit compliance action plans by June 18 with full standards to be met by midAugust 2025. It remains unclear if partial compliance would suffice to avoid restrictions .
Global Reaction and Implications
- National security US officials defend the move as necessary to ensure robust traveler screening
- Diplomatic friction Key allies like Egypt Nigeria Ethiopia and Liberia have expressed concern
- Criticism Human rights groups argue the move is discriminatory likening it to a broad African visa ban since over 70 percent of the affected countries are in Africa
- Retaliation Chad has already halted US visa issuance others are reportedly exploring reciprocal measures .
Whats at Stake
If the bans are implemented in August 2025 the impact would be far reaching—affecting tourism student exchange programs family travel and business ties. Countries are now racing to improve their immigration infrastructure to avoid being blacklisted .
Conclusion
The Trump administrations proposal to broaden its travel ban to 36 more countries marks a dramatic shift in US immigration enforcement. While officials emphasize security and sovereign right to regulate entry the international community watches closely—wary of its implications for diplomacy human rights and global mobility .