US expands travel ban to 20 more countries and Palestinian Authority

The Trump administration has widened US travel restrictions, adding 20 more countries and imposing fresh limits on individuals travelling on Palestinian Authority-issued documents, citing national security and public safety concerns.

In a proclamation signed on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said the measures strengthen existing entry restrictions on nationals from countries with “demonstrated, persistent and severe deficiencies” in screening, vetting and information-sharing. The White House said the move is aimed at preventing the entry of individuals who cannot be reliably assessed for security risks.

Under the new rules, partial entry restrictions will apply to nationals from 15 additional countries: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Full restrictions have been imposed on Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria.

Full entry limitations have also been placed on individuals holding travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority. The proclamation said US-designated terrorist groups are active in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and have been responsible for the deaths of American citizens, adding that the ongoing conflict has undermined the ability to conduct effective screening and vetting.

The administration said that because of weak or non-existent control exercised by the Palestinian Authority in these areas, travellers using PA-issued or endorsed documents cannot currently be properly vetted for entry into the United States.

The proclamation also upgraded restrictions on Laos and Sierra Leone from partial to full, while continuing partial limitations on nationals from Burundi, Cuba, Togo and Venezuela.

It reaffirmed full entry restrictions on nationals from the original list of 12 countries previously identified by the administration as high risk: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

While expanding the ban, the administration said exemptions would remain in place for lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders and specific categories such as diplomats, athletes and individuals whose entry is deemed to serve US national interests.

The White House argued that many of the restricted countries systematically prevent accurate vetting, citing high visa overstay rates, refusal to accept deported nationals and the presence of terrorist, criminal or extremist activity that undermines state control and security cooperation.

The move forms part of a broader tightening of US immigration policy following the shooting of two National Guard troops late last month by an Afghan national who had entered the country under a Biden-era evacuation programme after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021.

In the aftermath of that attack, the administration also paused Green Card, citizenship and other immigration applications from immigrants originating from 19 “countries of concern”, which largely overlap with those now subject to expanded travel restrictions.

With PTI inputs