The Trump administration on Tuesday announced a major expansion of its travel ban, adding several new countries to the list and imposing tougher entry rules on others, as part of a broader push to strengthen immigration and security controls at US borders.
According to officials cited by the Associated Press, the decision follows the arrest of an Afghan national suspected of shooting two members of the National Guard during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend near the White House in Washington. The incident triggered widespread outrage and renewed calls within the administration for stricter measures to curb illegal immigration and strengthen vetting procedures.
Earlier in June, US President Donald Trump had already barred visitors from 12 countries and imposed restrictions on travellers from seven others.
Under that earlier announcement, citizens from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen were banned from entering the United States. In addition, tighter limits were placed on travellers from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
The administration has now expanded the list of countries facing a full travel ban to include Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria. Further, individuals travelling on documents issued by the Palestinian Authority will now face a complete restriction on entry into the US.
Partial travel restrictions have also been extended to 15 additional countries: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Ivory Coast, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The White House said the updated measures are aimed at tightening entry standards and ensuring more robust security checks for those seeking to travel to the United States.
The policy announcement comes in the wake of a deadly shooting that occurred on November 26, just before Thanksgiving. West Virginia National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, was fatally shot, while Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, sustained serious injuries in the attack near the White House.
Authorities have arrested a 29-year-old man, identified as Lakanwal, who now faces a charge of first-degree murder.
Investigators said that before immigrating to the United States, Lakanwal had served in an Afghan Army “Zero Unit,” an elite force that frequently operated alongside American military personnel. He arrived in the US in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, following the American withdrawal from Afghanistan.
After settling in Bellingham, Washington, he lived with his wife and their five young sons. However, emails sent to the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) suggested that he had been struggling to adjust to life in the United States.
The administration has cited the incident as underscoring the need for tougher immigration controls, arguing that the expanded travel ban and enhanced vetting measures are necessary to safeguard national security.
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