The White House said on December 16 that President Trump signed an executive order “expanding and strengthening entry restrictions on nationals from countries with serious, persistent, and verified deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information-sharing, in order to protect the nation from national security and public safety threats.”
Under the order, the ban applies to Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, Syria, and individuals holding travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority. The executive order also imposes a full ban on travelers from Laos and Sierra Leone, which had previously been subject only to partial restrictions.
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The White House said the expanded ban will take effect on January 1, 2026. The Trump administration is also imposing partial entry restrictions on citizens from 15 countries: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Côte d’Ivoire, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The restrictions do not apply to lawful permanent residents, holders of valid visas, or certain visa categories for athletes and diplomats. Since returning to the White House, President Trump has aggressively prioritized stricter enforcement of immigration laws, deploying federal agents to major U.S. cities and refusing to admit asylum seekers at the U.S.–Mexico border.
In June, the U.S. president signed an executive order banning citizens of 12 countries from entering the United States and imposing restrictions on nationals from seven others. He said the measures were necessary to protect the country from “foreign terrorist elements” and other security threats. The ban applies to both immigrants and non-immigrants, including tourists, students, and business travelers.
The White House said the travel ban affecting those 12 countries remains in force. Earlier this month, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revealed that the administration is considering expanding the scope of the travel ban to more than 30 countries.
In recent weeks, President Trump has used increasingly harsh rhetoric to criticize African immigrants. At a rally last week, he said the United States was admitting people only from “terrible countries,” adding that it should instead prioritize immigrants from Norway and Sweden.