President Donald Trump has signed a new proclamation further tightening U.S. travel rules by expanding restrictions on foreign nationals from additional countries.
The proclamation, signed on Tuesday, places partial entry limitations on citizens of 15 more countries as part of what the administration described as efforts to strengthen U.S. travel and security standards.
The newly affected countries are Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Under the directive, full travel restrictions remain in force for the original 12 countries previously classified as high-risk: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
In addition, the proclamation imposes full restrictions on five more countries following recent security assessments. These include Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria. The measures also apply to individuals using travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority.
Two countries, Laos and Sierra Leone, which were earlier under partial restrictions, have now been moved to the full restriction category. Partial restrictions, however, remain in place for Burundi, Cuba, Togo and Venezuela.
Meanwhile, the U.S. lifted nonimmigrant visa restrictions on Turkmenistan, citing improved cooperation with American authorities, although immigrant visa limitations for its nationals will continue.
The proclamation provides exemptions for lawful permanent residents, current visa holders, selected visa categories such as diplomats and athletes, as well as individuals whose entry is deemed to be in the national interest of the United States.
This comes months after Trump designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over alleged Christian genocide.
