Immigration Travel Ban and Blocks 20 More Countries

Trump expands immigration ban
20 countries added
Exceptions remain in place

The administration of Republican President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday a significant expansion of restrictions on the entry of travelers and migrants into the United States.

The measure, communicated through a post on the social media platform X, increases the total number of countries affected by full or partial limitations from 12 to 32. With this decision, Trump expands the immigration travel ban on a much broader scale.

Trump’s Immigration Restrictions Expanded

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Una publicación compartida por Noticias Telemundo (@noticiastelemundo)

The announcement was formalized through a proclamation signed by the president, according to the government.

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The decision includes total bans, partial restrictions, and adjustments to measures already in place.

New Countries With Total Entry Bans

🔴 #BREAKING | Trump expands restrictions on foreign entry

The president of the United States, Donald Trump, signed a proclamation that strengthens and expands limitations on entry into the country for citizens of nations with serious deficiencies in vetting processes… pic.twitter.com/CqROlS1zRc

— Azucena Uresti (@azucenau) December 16, 2025

The proclamation signed by Trump bans entry into the United States for people from five additional countries.

The nations included in this new total ban are Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria.

The ban also extends to individuals holding travel documents issued by the Palestinian National Authority.

Prior to this announcement, the total ban—announced in June—affected citizens of Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.

With the addition of the new countries, Trump expands the immigration travel ban considerably.

Changes to Trump’s Partial Travel Restrictions

In June, the Trump administration had imposed partial travel restrictions on seven additional countries.

Those countries were Laos, Sierra Leone, Burundi, Cuba, Togo, Venezuela, and Turkmenistan.

Under the new announcement, Laos and Sierra Leone move from partial restrictions to a full entry ban.

In the case of Turkmenistan, restrictions are eased due to what the government described as “significant progress.”

For Burundi, Cuba, Togo, and Venezuela, partial restrictions remain unchanged.

In addition, 15 more countries were added to the partial restriction list.

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

Government Justification and Exceptions

The Trump administration stated that many of the countries included exhibit “widespread corruption, fraudulent or unreliable civil documents, and criminal records.”

According to the government, these conditions make it difficult to properly vet citizens seeking to travel to the United States.

It also noted that some countries have high rates of individuals overstaying their visas.

Others, the administration said, refuse to accept the return of citizens whom the United States seeks to deport.

The government added that in certain cases there is a “general lack of stability and governmental control.”

This, according to the proclamation, complicates background checks and risk assessments.

“The restrictions and limitations imposed by the proclamation are necessary to prevent the entry of foreign nationals about whom the United States lacks sufficient information,” the text states.

The announcement includes exceptions for lawful permanent residents and current visa holders.

Certain visa categories, such as those for athletes and diplomats, are also excluded.

Exceptions are additionally permitted for individuals whose entry would benefit U.S. interests, even as Trump expands the immigration travel ban across more regions.