On Monday, the Trump administration announced the latest expansion of its increasingly wide travel restrictions. Then they expanded the bans and increased the restrictions to 20 other countries and the Palestinian Authority. This move resurrects a hallmark policy from Donald Trump’s first term, reflecting ongoing efforts to tighten U.S. entry standards for travel and immigration.
As it currently stands, the travel ban entirely encompasses seven countries. It includes Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. The administration further expanded these restrictions to include nationals from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. Partial bans have come to affect 15 other countries today. This list comprises Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Ivory Coast, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Yet by issuing a ban, the administration has gone further than this. This is their “bigger bite.” As a result, today, anyone with a Palestinian Authority passport can’t immigrate to the United States. The decision was justified by the administration citing concerns over “widespread corruption, fraudulent or unreliable civil documents and criminal records,” coupled with a “general lack of stability and government control” in these nations.
This decision comes in direct response to increasing security threats. It comes on the heels of news of the arrest of an Afghan national suspected of shooting two National Guard members in a US city over the Thanksgiving weekend. During this period, the administration made clear that it would seek to tighten restrictions further.
The final rules aren’t limited only to immigrants—they govern everybody who wants to come visit or move to the U.S. Only a small number of people are eligible for exemptions. This extends to everyone with a valid visa, lawful permanent residents of the United States, or those within specialized visa categories such as diplomats or athletes.
This is unfortunate, as the prior administration removed some barriers for would-be travelers from Turkmenistan. Furthermore, they acknowledged positive developments in the country that warranted a new determination of its status. In contrast, Laos and Sierra Leone were recently moved from a partially restricted to fully restricted status based on evaluated security threats.
“U.S.-designated terrorist groups operate actively in the West Bank or Gaza Strip and have murdered American citizens.” – The Trump administration
As critics have pointed out, even the expanded ban does not actually have a true national security justification. Rather, it is intended to vilify people based solely on their national origin. Laurie Ball Cooper stated,
“This expanded ban is not about national security but instead is another shameful attempt to demonize people simply for where they are from.”
The previous administration at least understood these threats, not just warnings from places like Afghanistan, Yemen, and Iraq that inspire terrorism. They claim that the new policies are necessary to protect U.S. interests. They argue that weakened vetting and screening capabilities from these countries require such measures.