The Trump administration is weighing a significant expansion of its travel ban policy, potentially tripling the number of countries affected. According to a State Department memo obtained by NPR, up to 36 additional nations could be added to the existing list of 19 countries under full or partial travel restrictions imposed earlier this month.
The memo, signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and first reported by The Washington Post, was sent to U.S. diplomats in regions including Africa, Central Asia, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands. It instructs them to report by Wednesday on how their host countries will meet new vetting and screening standards set by the U.S.
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Rubio notes that these nations have been identified as having security vetting processes “so deficient as to warrant a partial or full suspension” of their citizens’ entry into the U.S. The move comes as part of President Donald Trump’s broader immigration crackdown, which has also included increased deportations of immigrants linked to criminal charges.
According to the memo, several of the targeted countries are either designated as state sponsors of terrorism or have citizens with ties to terrorist acts in the U.S. Other issues include unreliable identity documents, weak criminal recordkeeping, widespread government fraud, or high visa overstay rates. Some citizens are also accused of engaging in antisemitic or anti-American activities while in the U.S.
If the identified countries fail to address U.S. concerns, they could be recommended for travel bans as soon as August.
“Limiting entry from these countries will help secure the American homeland and make our communities safer,” said Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security.
The memo also emphasizes that nations must fully cooperate with U.S. deportation efforts. If countries accept deportees—including those who cannot return to their origin country—it may help mitigate a potential travel ban.
“This is a necessary step to garner cooperation from foreign governments to accept deportation flights of their own citizens, strengthen national security, and help restore integrity to the immigration system,” McLaughlin added.
However, critics argue that the travel bans disproportionately target African and Muslim-majority countries and are racially and religiously discriminatory—concerns that echoed the backlash to Trump’s first-term travel ban, which was rescinded under the Biden administration.
Countries Facing New Bans:
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Africa & Middle East: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
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Asia & Pacific: Bhutan, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, Syria, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu
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Caribbean: Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Cabo Verde
Nations Already Fully Banned (as of June 4, 2025):
Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen
Nations Partially Banned:
Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, Venezuela
The administration has not yet announced when final decisions will be made, but action could be taken in the coming weeks depending on the responses from the countries in question
