The Trump administration is considering expanding its travel ban to include 36 additional countries, a move that would represent a further escalation of the ban's policy.
According to an internal US State Department memo, the new list includes 25 African countries, including important US partners such as Egypt and Djibouti, as well as countries in the Caribbean, Central Asia, and several Pacific islands.
This move is part of a series of measures taken by the Trump administration to tighten immigration restrictions, further escalating its strict approach.
According to a memo signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and addressed to US diplomats working with these countries, the affected governments have 60 days to submit initial action plans that meet new standards and requirements set by the department, with a deadline of 8 a.m. Wednesday. It remains unclear when the new restrictions will take effect if the affected countries fail to comply.
The list of countries under review included: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Ethiopia, Egypt, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Democrats and other opponents have criticized these measures, describing them as racist and xenophobic, noting that Trump had previously attempted to impose a ban on Muslim-majority countries during his first term, and the high percentage of African and Caribbean countries currently targeted.
Early in his first term, Trump attempted to ban the entry of citizens from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, and Libya, causing chaos at airports and facing repeated legal challenges until the Supreme Court upheld the third version of the ban in June 2018. Although the ban was rescinded during the Biden administration, Trump repeatedly pledged to reinstate it during his campaign, even emphasizing that it would be broader than before.
In June 2025, Trump signed a new executive order banning entry to the US by citizens of 12 countries (Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen), with partial restrictions on seven other countries, citing an attack in Colorado attributed to an undocumented immigrant as a security justification.
