Washington (TDI): The United States is considering a major expansion of its travel restrictions, potentially extending immigration limitations to more than 30 countries, mostly in Asia and Africa, the Department of Homeland Security announced Tuesday.
The move comes after the Trump administration paused all immigration applications, including green cards and citizenship processing for immigrants from 19 non-European countries.
“If they don’t have a stable government there, if they cannot help us identify and vet individuals, why should we allow people from that country to come to the United States?” said Secretary of Homeland Security Noem.
Following a meeting with President Trump on Monday, Noem wrote on X that she recommended implementing a comprehensive travel ban targeting countries she described as sending individuals who pose security risks or place a burden on public resources.
The expansion is linked to heightened concerns following last week’s shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., which investigators say was carried out by an Afghan national who had entered the US in 2021 through a resettlement program officials deem insufficiently vetted.
Read More: US Halts Immigration Processing from 19 Non-European Countries
In June, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation barring citizens from 12 countries from entering the United States and limiting entry from seven others, citing the need to safeguard the nation from potential “foreign terrorists” and other security threats.
The restrictions affect both immigrants and non-immigrants, including tourists, students, and business travelers. The new restrictions would broaden a proclamation issued by President Trump last summer that partially or fully barred legal immigration and travel from 19 countries, mostly in Asia and Africa.
That proclamation widely referred to as a travel ban completely blocked entry from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, while partially restricting travel from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
Trump had justified the move as necessary to mitigate potential terrorist threats, gaps in vetting processes, and non-cooperation from certain countries on deportation matters.
On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security said it would announce the new countries to be included under the expanded travel ban “soon.”
The administration’s goal is to ensure that individuals entering the United States are properly screened, while preventing potential security risks from reaching American soil.
Minahil Khurshid holds a Master's in Peace and Conflict Studies from NUST. She is passionate about current affairs, public policy, and geopolitics.
