The Trump administration has announced a sweeping expansion of the United States travel ban, significantly tightening entry rules for dozens of countries as part of a renewed push to strengthen border security and immigration controls.
The decision, revealed on Tuesday, comes amid heightened political and public pressure following the arrest of an Afghan national accused of shooting two National Guard members near the White House during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. US officials, quoted by the Associated Press, said the incident intensified concerns over vetting processes and illegal immigration, prompting immediate policy action.
Earlier in June, President Donald Trump had already imposed a complete travel ban on citizens from 12 countries, while enforcing stricter entry conditions on travellers from seven others. Those fully barred included Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Partial restrictions were applied to Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
Under the latest expansion, the administration has added Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria to the list of countries facing a complete ban. In a significant move, individuals travelling on documents issued by the Palestinian Authority will also be denied entry to the United States.
In addition, partial travel restrictions have now been extended to 15 more 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 designed to enforce tougher entry standards, improve background checks and ensure that individuals entering the US do not pose a security risk. Officials stressed that the policy is focused on national safety rather than targeting any specific community.
The move follows a deadly shooting on November 26, just days before Thanksgiving, in which West Virginia National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, was killed, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, was critically injured. Authorities have charged 29-year-old Lakanwal with first-degree murder in connection with the attack.
Investigators revealed that Lakanwal previously served in an elite Afghan Army “Zero Unit” that often worked alongside US forces. He entered the United States in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and later settled in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and five young sons.
