The Trump administration has progressed its crackdown on immigration into the United States by putting restrictions on roughly 20% of nations worldwide. The latest list, according to a CBS News exclusive, includes countries in Asia and Africa.
Earlier this week, the White House published a proclamation building on its already long list of countries entirely banned or partially restricted from entering the U.S.
“The United States must exercise extreme vigilance during the visa-issuance and immigration processes to identify, prior to their admission or entry into the United States, foreign nationals who intend to harm Americans or our national interests,” the proclamation states. “The United States Government must ensure that admitted aliens do not intend to threaten its citizens; undermine or destabilize its culture, government, institutions, or founding principles; or advocate for, aid, or support designated foreign terrorists or other threats to our national security.”
The new nationalities that have been added to the proclamation but have not been publicly updated, per CBS News, now include full travel bans for Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria, and partial restrictions to Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Combined, Trump’s travel bans cover roughly 60% of African countries.
Likely in connection to the new list of nations denied full or partial travel to the U.S., United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow posted on X, “The safety and security of the American people always comes first. USCIS is conducting a comprehensive review of anyone from anywhere who poses a threat to the U.S., including those identified in the President’s latest proclamation to restore law and order in our nation’s immigration system,” and that “aliens from high-risk countries are (being) vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible.”
Countries that remain fully suspended include Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Partial suspensions remain in place for Burundi, Cuba, Togo and Venezuela.