Trump expands US travel ban to nearly 40 countries, including Syria and Palestinians

 The United States has sharply expanded its travel ban, with President Donald Trump announcing on 16 December 2025 that citizens from seven additional countries, including Syria and Palestinian Authority passport holders, will be barred from entering the country.

The latest proclamation brings the total number of countries whose citizens face entry restrictions based solely on nationality to nearly 40, marking one of the most sweeping immigration crackdowns in modern US history.

In addition to the full bans, the administration also imposed partial travel restrictions on several other countries, including long-standing US partners and even close neighbours, signalling a broader tightening of routine international travel.

The White House said the measures were necessary to protect national security, arguing that the United States must prevent foreigners who “intend to threaten” Americans from entering the country.

According to the proclamation, the administration also seeks to block individuals who could “undermine or destabilise its culture, government, institutions or founding principles”.

The expanded ban comes as Trump, who has long made hostility towards immigration a central political issue, continues to order mass deportations and adopt increasingly strident rhetoric against non-white immigrants.

Among the newly banned countries is Syria, which was added days after two US troops and a civilian were killed in the conflict-ridden country.

Despite the ban, Trump has in recent months sought to rehabilitate Syria internationally following the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.

Syrian authorities said the perpetrator of the attack was a member of the country’s security forces who was due to be dismissed for holding “extremist Islamist ideas”.

Palestinian Authority passport holders were also formally added to the ban, after the Trump administration had already informally restricted their travel.

The move comes as Washington aligns closely with Israel in opposing the recognition of a Palestinian state by several Western countries, including France and Britain.

Five of the newly banned countries are among Africa’s poorest: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone and South Sudan.

Laos, in Southeast Asia, was also included in the latest round of full restrictions.

Beyond the full bans, Trump imposed partial travel restrictions on citizens of several other nations.

These include Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, as well as Ivory Coast and Senegal, both of which have qualified for the World Cup scheduled to be held in the United States next year.

The Trump administration has said athletes will be allowed to enter the country for the tournament, but it has not extended similar assurances to fans from restricted countries.

Partial restrictions were also placed on several African and Caribbean nations with largely Black populations.

These include Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The Polynesian nation of Tonga was also subjected to partial restrictions.

Several of the affected African countries, including Angola, Senegal and Zambia, have been prominent US partners.

Former president Joe Biden had previously praised all three for their commitment to democratic governance.

Humanitarian groups reacted with alarm to the announcement.

Global Refuge, a Christian-based organisation supporting refugees, warned that the policy would endanger vulnerable populations.

“The administration is once again using the language of security to justify blanket exclusions that punish entire populations, rather than utilising individualised, evidence-based screening,” said the group’s president and chief executive, Krish O’Mara Vignarajah.

Trump’s language on immigration has also drawn renewed criticism.

At a rally last week, he complained that the United States was only accepting people from “shithole countries” and said it should instead seek immigrants from Norway and Sweden.

He recently described Somalis as “garbage” following allegations that Somali Americans were involved in fraudulent government contracts in Minnesota.

Somalia is already subject to a full US travel ban.

Other countries that remain under a complete ban include Afghanistan, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Sudan and Yemen.

Last month, Trump further tightened restrictions on Afghan nationals.

He ended a programme that allowed Afghans who fought alongside US forces against the Taliban to resettle in the United States.

The decision followed an incident in which an Afghan veteran, believed to be suffering from post-traumatic stress, shot two National Guard troops deployed by Trump in Washington.

In a rare concession, the White House acknowledged “significant progress” by Turkmenistan.

Nationals of the Central Asian country will once again be eligible for US visas, but only for non-immigrant purposes.

The administration has also all but ended refugee admissions more broadly.

The United States is now only accepting refugees from South Africa’s white Afrikaner minority, a move that has drawn widespread international condemnation.