'ICE Barbie' Kristi Noem Announces 30 More Countries Part of US Travel Ban

Homeland Security Head Kristi Noem announced that the United States will be adding 30 more countries to its travel ban. The announcement marks the latest travel restriction list issued by Washington, with more countries to be added.

The proposed expansion builds on the current ban that includes 19 countries as of June.

Criteria for Exclusion

While, Noem did not provide did not provide a specific list of nations on Thursday, she said that President Donald Trump was currently evaluating candidates for inclusion. It also remains to be seen when the ban would take effect.

'I won't be specific on the number, but it's over 30. And the President is continuing to evaluate countries,' Noem told Fox News host Laura Ingraham. 'If they don't have a stable government there, if they don't have a country that can sustain itself and tell us who those individuals are and help us vet them, why should we allow people from that country to come here to the United States?'

Ideological Alignment

In a post on X on 2 December, Noem said she called for a full travel ban on certain countries that she did not name. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also echoed Noem's message.

'If you don't align with the values of the United States, and you don't respect our country, our culture, our laws, and our people, you are not welcome here,' said Leavitt.

Trump Admin Wants More Vetting

The Republican administration has sought to increase vetting for foreign nationals who enter the country for security reasons. However, critics have argued that this move would traumatise those who have already undergone extensive vetting to enter the US. They have also said the new policies could be compared to exacting collective punishment.

Agencies have paused asylum decisions, paused processing of immigration-related benefits for nationals from the 19 countries in the existing ban, and halted visas for Afghans who helped US soldiers during the war.

Crucially, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it was reducing the validity period of work permits for certain applicants, such as refugees. This also includes people seeking asylum in order to force them to reapply more often and undergo frequent vetting.

The Existing Restrictions

In a June proclamation, the Trump administration issued a full travel ban to 12 countries and a partial ban to seven others. Most of the countries that were under the restrictions were from Africa and the Middle East.

The countries included in the full travel ban are: Haiti, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Chad, Libya, Sudan, Eritrea, Iran, Yemen, Somalia, Afghanistan, and Myanmar. The countries under the partial travel ban include Cuba, Venezuela, Sierra Leone, Togo, Burundi, Turkmenistan, and Laos.

'President Trump is fulfilling his promise to Americans from dangerous foreign actors that want to come to our country and cause us harm,' said Deputy White House Press Secretary Abigail Jackson at the time. 'These commonsense restrictions are country-specific and include places that lack proper vetting, exhibit high visa overstay rates, or fail to share identity and threat information.'