President Donald Trump is said to be getting ready to broaden the scope of the travel ban for individuals seeking entry into the United States, encompassing over 30 countries.
This development follows a recent decision by the White House to halt immigration applications from 19 nations and cancel citizenship ceremonies nationwide, citing concerns related to national security.
Initially, Trump imposed restrictions on 19 countries, many of which were tied to African or Muslim-majority nations such as Afghanistan, Iran, and Libya. However, he is now planning to include 11 more countries in what is being described as one of the most extensive travel bans in history.
Under the new regulations effective as of June 9, nationals from Afghanistan, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen will be prohibited from entering the United States. Additionally, citizens from seven other countries – Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela – will face partial restrictions on entering the US.
These bans are the latest in a series of immigration policies introduced by Trump, which also involve preventing individuals from crossing the southern border to seek asylum and authorizing heavily armed ICE immigration officers to conduct raids across the nation.
While Trump has not made an official statement on the matter, Secretary of State Kristi Noem hinted at a comprehensive “full travel ban” extension, suggesting on social media that she proposed expanding the list of restricted countries during a meeting with the President.
Noem advocated for the inclusion of “every single country that has been inundating our nation with criminals, freeloaders, and entitlement seekers” on the ban list. She emphasized the importance of upholding the values on which the nation was founded, expressing a strong stance against foreign individuals jeopardizing American safety and resources.
Previously, Trump criticized former President Joe Biden for allowing unvetted migrants to enter the United States. In his initial term, Trump expressed a clear intention to bar citizens from nations where Islam is the dominant religion, leading to the imposition of a travel ban on individuals from seven Muslim-majority countries entering the US.