President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation broadening entry restrictions on foreign nationals from dozens of countries identified as having serious gaps in screening, vetting, and information-sharing practices, aiming to bolster U.S. national security and public safety.
The measure builds on restrictions Trump reinstated earlier this year from his first term, expanding full entry bans to include Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria. It also applies full restrictions to holders of Palestinian Authority-issued travel documents, citing active terrorist groups in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, recent conflict, and limited control by the authorities, hindering proper vetting.
Additionally, the proclamation shifts Laos and Sierra Leone from partial to full restrictions, while maintaining complete bans on nationals from 12 countries previously designated: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
Partial limits, affecting immigrants and nonimmigrants on B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas, continue for Burundi, Cuba, Togo, and Venezuela. The action introduces similar partial restrictions for Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
For Turkmenistan, the proclamation eases previous limits by ending the suspension on nonimmigrant visas in those categories, acknowledging the country’s cooperation and improvements in identity management and data sharing, though immigrant entry remains barred.
Exceptions cover lawful permanent residents, those with valid visas, diplomats, athletes, and entries deemed in the U.S. national interest. It also tightens broad exemptions for family-based immigrant visas due to fraud concerns, while allowing case-by-case waivers.
Trump determined the steps were needed after consultations with Cabinet officials and reviews under prior executive actions, including a June 2025 update to first-term policies. The restrictions target nations with issues such as corruption, unreliable documentation, high visa overstay rates, refusal to repatriate citizens, and terrorist activity that complicate assessments of potential risks.
For instance, Burkina Faso faces ongoing terrorist threats and had a 9.16% overstay rate for B-1/B-2 visas and 22.95% for student and exchange categories in fiscal 2024, per Homeland Security data, plus a history of not accepting back deportees. Mali contends with armed conflicts and terrorist operations in ungoverned areas.
Niger deals with active terrorist planning for kidnappings and had overstay rates of 13.41% and 16.46% respectively. Sierra Leone showed 16.48% and 35.83% overstays, with prior reports at similar levels and a reluctance to take back nationals.
South Sudan had 6.99% and 26.09% overstays alongside repatriation failures. Syria, recovering from civil war, lacks central authority for documents and vetting, with 7.09% and 9.34% overstay figures. Laos reported 28.34% and 11.41% overstays, up from previous years, and has not cooperated on returns.
Among partial-restriction countries, Angola had 14.43% and 21.92% overstays; Benin 12.34% and 36.77%; Cote d’Ivoire 8.47% and 19.09%; Gabon 13.72% and 17.77%; The Gambia 12.70% and 38.79%, with repatriation issues; Malawi 22.45% and 31.99%; Mauritania 9.49% for B-1/B-2 amid limited government presence; Nigeria 5.56% and 11.90% plus terrorist groups in uncontrolled regions; Senegal 4.30% and 13.07%; Tanzania 8.30% and 13.97%; Tonga 6.45% and 14.44%; Zambia 10.73% and 21.02%; Zimbabwe 7.89% and 15.15%.
Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica operate citizenship-by-investment programs without residency requirements, raising concerns about concealment.
The Supreme Court previously upheld similar restrictions, ruling that it “is squarely within the scope of Presidential authority” and “expressly premised on legitimate purposes” such as “preventing entry of nationals who cannot be adequately vetted and inducing other nations to improve their practices,” according to a White House Fact Sheet.
White House officials framed the move as fulfilling Trump’s pledge to restore safety measures, tailored to each country’s situation, to spur better cooperation.
