The Trump administration is floating the idea of adding 36 more countries to its travel ban that began earlier this month, according to an internal State Department cable reviewed by The Washington Post and Reuters.
A spokesperson for the State Department told Newsweek in a Sunday email: “The Department does not comment on internal deliberations or communications, but we are constantly reevaluating policies to ensure the safety of Americans and that foreign nationals follow our laws.”
Why It Matters
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation restricting travel by foreigners from 12 countries and partially restricting entry from an additional seven countries. The ban, which Trump said is to “protect the nation from foreign terrorist and other national security and public safety threats,” went into effect on June 9.
Since his inauguration on January 20, Trump has cracked down on foreign nationals in the United States, mainly through executive orders, and has prioritized immigration enforcement as a key pillar of his agenda.
During his first administration, Trump imposed a ban that barred people from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the U.S. Critics then and now, have called out the restrictions as xenophobic and racist.
What To Know
The internal cable, which was signed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, “identified 36 countries of concern that might be recommended for full or partial suspension of entry if they do not meet established benchmarks and requirements within 60 days,” as reported by Reuters.
The weekend memo was first reported by The Washington Post and includes 25 African nations, as well as several Pacific Island nations, Caribbean, and Central Asian.
The countries mentioned in the cable that may face a potential partial or full ban are:
- Angola
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Burkina Faso
- Cabo Verde
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Cote D’Ivoire
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Djibouti
- Dominica
- Ethiopia
- Egypt
- Gabon
- The Gambia
- Ghana
- Kyrgyzstan
- Liberia
- Malawi
- Mauritania
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Senegal
- South Sudan
- Syria
- Tanzania
- Tonga
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- Vanuatu
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Some of the countries under consideration, such as Egypt, are key U.S. diplomatic partners and receive American military aid. When asked earlier this month why Egypt wasn’t on the original list, Trump responded, “Because Egypt has been a country that we deal with very closely. They have things under control.”
Djibouti hosts Camp Lemonnier, the only permanent U.S. military base in Africa.
The countries would be in addition to the 12 fully restricted countries of Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, and the seven partially restricted, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela, that Trump already limited. There are, however, some exceptions to the restrictions, including certain visas.
The Washington Post identified the benchmarks in the memo as regarding lack of “competent or cooperative central government authority to produce reliable identity documents or other civil documents,” or experiencing “widespread government fraud.” Immigration also played a role in their potential selection, with some reportedly having large numbers of citizens who overstayed their visas in the U.S.
The memo also touched on ideology, reportedly saying, there were accounts of “antisemitic and anti-American activity in the United States” by some people from those countries.
Trump announced the first version of the ban earlier this month after citing national security concerns following a recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, when Mohamed Sabry Soliman, a 45-year-old Egyptian national, carried out a firebombing attack at a pro-Israel rally, injuring 12 people. Trump has detained several vocal pro-Palestinian voices, most notably Mahmoud Khalil.
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
What People Are Saying
A spokesperson for the State Department told Newsweek in an email Sunday: “The Department of State is committed to protecting our nation and its citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa process.”
Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard said in a press release on June 5: “President Trump’s new travel ban is discriminatory, racist, and downright cruel. By targeting people based on their race, religion, or nationality, from countries with predominantly Black, Brown and Muslim-majority populations, this blanket ban constitutes racial discrimination under international human rights law. It also spreads hate and disinformation, reinforcing the misleading idea that certain populations are more likely to pose security risks or engage in acts of violence.”
Senator Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, wrote in a June 4 X, formerly Twitter, post: “This is Trump’s reckless first term travel ban all over again. Just like before, Trump’s expanded ban on travelers from around the world will not improve our national security and will only further isolate the U.S. from the rest of world. Bigotry is not a national security strategy.”
What Happens Next?
It remains unclear whether the State Department will move forward with the additions or when the countries might face restrictions if they fail to meet certain requirements.
