President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a new proclamation expanding his administration’s travel ban, adding five more countries to the list of nations facing full entry restrictions, Newsmax Wires reported.
The White House said the new order blocks most travel to the United States by nationals of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria, citing persistent failures by those governments to meet U.S. security and vetting standards, Reuters reported.
Administration officials said the expansion is aimed at protecting Americans by preventing entry from countries that cannot reliably verify the identities or backgrounds of travelers, a rationale outlined by the White House.
The proclamation also imposes full restrictions on individuals traveling on documents issued by the Palestinian Authority, a step the administration said closes a loophole in the screening process, Reuters said.
The move builds on a June 4 proclamation signed by Trump that established a tiered system of travel bans and visa limitations tied directly to national security concerns, according to the Federal Register.
Under that earlier order, the administration barred most new visas for citizens of Afghanistan, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, according to State Department guidance summarizing the policy.
The June proclamation also imposed partial visa suspensions on Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela in specific visa categories, the State Department said.
Administration officials said those countries were selected based on high visa overstay rates, weak passport and civil registry systems, and a lack of cooperation with U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies, according to the text of the June proclamation.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem signaled earlier this month that the administration was preparing to broaden the travel ban, saying in a television interview that more than 30 countries were under review.
Noem said the administration’s goal was to restore “common-sense enforcement” and ensure that every individual entering the United States is properly vetted.
CBS News separately reported that Department of Homeland Security officials had completed internal security reviews and were preparing to announce additional restrictions tied to those findings.
Supporters of the travel ban say the policy reflects Trump’s long-standing promise to put American safety first and reverse what they view as years of lax enforcement under prior administrations.
The expanded ban comes as the Trump administration advances a broader immigration crackdown focused on border security, interior enforcement and national sovereignty, according to multiple media reports.
Earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security proposed new rules that would require travelers from Visa Waiver Program countries to submit expanded personal data, including social media history.
Administration officials said those proposals are intended to close gaps exploited by bad actors and ensure that visa-free travel does not become a security vulnerability.
Outside analysts tracking immigration policy said the expanded ban significantly increases the number of people affected by U.S. entry restrictions, according to the American Immigration Council.
The Council on Foreign Relations noted that many of the countries subject to full bans are experiencing instability or conflict, conditions that U.S. officials argue make reliable vetting nearly impossible.
Critics claim the policy could strain diplomatic relations, but administration officials have countered that national security concerns outweigh diplomatic sensitivities.
The White House has emphasized that the proclamation includes narrow exceptions and case-by-case waivers for individuals who clearly meet U.S. security standards, as outlined in the June framework.
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