Donald Trump has signed a new proclamation further restricting the entry of foreign nationals into the United States, the White House said on Tuesday.
The move expands existing travel restrictions, imposing full entry bans on nationals from five additional countries: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria. Full restrictions were also placed on individuals holding travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority.
The new measures build on an earlier list of 12 countries already subject to full restrictions.
The announcement comes in the wake of the fatal shooting of two National Guard members in Washington DC on 26 November. The suspected gunman is an Afghan national who previously served in a CIA-backed unit in Afghanistan and entered the US following the American withdrawal in 2021. He was granted asylum earlier this year after undergoing vetting.
The Trump administration has pointed to the case as justification for tightening immigration controls. Since the incident, Trump has used inflammatory and racially charged language when discussing some immigrant groups.
Syria’s inclusion on the list follows the killing of three Americans in the country earlier this month, two US soldiers and a civilian interpreter, in an attack blamed on Islamic State.
The decision comes only days after Trump hosted Syria’s president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, at the White House.
A White House fact sheet said Syria lacks a functioning central authority capable of issuing reliable passports or civil documents, and does not have sufficient screening and vetting systems in place.
Alongside the full bans, partial restrictions were imposed on nationals from a further 15 countries. These include Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The expansion follows comments made on 5 December by the homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, who said the administration intended to broaden the scope of the travel ban.
In the proclamation, Trump said the restrictions were necessary because the US lacks adequate information to assess the risks posed by some foreign nationals seeking entry.
“It is the President’s duty to take action to ensure that those seeking to enter our country will not harm the American people,” the statement said.
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