President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on December 16 expanding and strengthening entry limits on nationals from countries described as having “demonstrated, persistent, and severe deficiencies” in screening, vetting and information-sharing systems, according to reports.
The administration said the changes are necessary to prevent the entry of foreign nationals about whom the US “lacks sufficient information to assess the risks they pose, garner cooperation from foreign governments, enforce our immigration laws, and advance other important foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism objectives.”
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Under the new measures, partial restrictions and entry limitations have been imposed on African countries that include Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi and Mauritanina. Full restrictions and entry bans now apply to citizens of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria. Take a look at the full list of partial and full restrictions below:
Countries facing partial restrictions
- Angola
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Benin
- Côte d’Ivoire
- Dominica
- Gabon
- The Gambia
- Malawi
- Mauritania
- Nigeria
- Senegal
- Tanzania
- Tonga
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Countries under full restrictions
Full entry bans and comprehensive limitations now apply to nationals from these five countries:
- Burkina Faso
- Mali
- Niger
- South Sudan
- Syria
Restrictions maintained on other countries
- Burundi
- Cuba
- Togo
- Venezuela
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The proclamation also continues full restrictions originally imposed on 12 countries previously labelled by the administration as “high-risk”, which include:
- Afghanistan
- Burma
- Chad
- Republic of the Congo
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Haiti
- Iran
- Libya
- Somalia
- Sudan
- Yemen
The proclamation also places full entry restrictions on individuals holding Palestinian Authority-issued or endorsed travel documents. It said several “US-designated terrorist groups operate actively in the West Bank or Gaza Strip and have murdered American citizens”, adding that the ongoing conflict in those areas has likely compromised vetting and screening processes. The document stated: “Considering the weak or nonexistent control exercised over these areas by the PA (Palestinian Authority), individuals attempting to travel on PA-issued or endorsed travel documents cannot currently be properly vetted and approved for entry into the United States.”
The document added that terrorist presence, criminal networks and extremist activity in several of the listed countries contribute to instability and weak government control, creating what it called direct risks to US citizens and interests.
Despite the expanded ban, the measures include exemptions for lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders, specific visa categories such as diplomats and athletes, and individuals “whose entry serves US national interests”.
