Trump's Travel Ban
Aeroplane bound for Lisbon, Portugal. Nils Nedel/Unplash

The Trump administration has recently imposed a full travel ban on 12 countries, barring their nationals from entering the United States as part of efforts to significantly reduce immigration.

According to a newly leaked internal memo, US President Donald Trump is now considering adding a further 36 countries to the existing list, potentially expanding the already sweeping travel restrictions.

Trump Travel Ban to Include 36 More Countries

On 4 June 2025, the Trump administration fully banned 12 countries. These include: Chad, Myanmar, the Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Haiti, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.

Aside from these, the US government also partially restricted nationals from: Sierra Leone, Togo, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. In the new State Department memo, 36 additional nations could be added to the US travel ban list.

  1. Egypt
  2. Gabon
  3. The Gambia
  4. Ghana
  5. Angola
  6. Antigua and Barbuda
  7. Benin
  8. Bhutan
  9. Burkina Faso
  10. Cabo Verde
  11. Cambodia
  12. Cameroon
  13. Côte D'Ivoire
  14. Democratic Republic of Congo
  15. Djibouti
  16. Dominica
  17. Saint Lucia
  18. Sao Tome and Principe
  19. Ethiopia
  20. Kyrgyzstan
  21. Liberia
  22. Malawi
  23. Mauritania
  24. Senegal
  25. South Sudan
  26. Syria
  27. Tanzania
  28. Niger
  29. Nigeria
  30. Saint Kitts and Nevis
  31. Tonga
  32. Tuvalu
  33. Uganda
  34. Vanuatu
  35. Zambia
  36. Zimbabwe

If Donald Trump moves forward with the proposed expansion, the number of countries affected by the US travel ban could almost triple.

Why Trump Wants to Widen US Travel Ban

According to The Daily Mail UK, there are numerous reasons why the Trump administration wants to include the mentioned 36 countries in the travel. Here are the reasons mentioned in the memo.

  • Nationals with high rates of visa overstay
  • Failing to take deported citizens back
  • Countries don't have a central government
  • Can't provide sufficient details about criminal records
  • Citizens are involved in terrorism, as well as antisemitic and anti-American activities in the US

Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin explained that preventing these countries' nationals would greatly help protect American communities, as reported by NPR.

How They Can Avoid US Travel Ban

The Trump administration clarified that the countries included in the memo could avoid getting added to the US travel ban. In order to do so, they must address the government's concerns by properly accepting immigrants who were deported, but couldn't return to their original nations.

Aside from this, they can also act as a 'safe third country' by accepting asylum seekers who applied in the US. The memo stated that affected countries have 60 days to improve on a series of benchmarks. If they're successful, the Trump administration will mark them safe.

Can Americans Still Visit These Countries?

Yes. US citizens can still visit the mentioned countries since it's the Trump administration banning them and not the other way around. However, it's important to note that travelling to these nations would be at your own risk.

If Donald Trump really added them to the travel ban list, it could trigger their nationals, especially since critics claim that the previous and upcoming bans are racially and religiously discriminatory. But, a senior State Department official clarified that they are still reevaluating the policies.

'We are constantly reevaluating policies to ensure the safety of Americans and that foreign nationals follow our laws,' said the official.

He added: 'The Department of State is committed to protecting our nation and its citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa process.'

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