Trump expands US travel ban to five more countries

December 17, 2025

President Trump has significantly broadened US travel restrictions by adding five countries and Palestinian Authority passport holders to a full entry ban, while expanding partial restrictions to 15 additional nations. The administration justifies these measures by citing security concerns including inadequate vetting systems, high visa overstay rates, and lack of cooperation from affected countries in accepting deported citizens. The restrictions, set to begin January 1st, represent Trump's third travel ban implementation and will remain until countries demonstrate improvements in identity management and information sharing.

Who is affected

Nationals from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria
Palestinian Authority passport holders
People from Laos and Sierra Leone (moved from partial to full ban)
Nationals from 15 countries under partial restrictions including Nigeria, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe
Two National Guard troops (shot over Thanksgiving weekend by an Afghan national suspect)

What action is being taken

The White House is implementing expanded travel restrictions that will come into force on January 1st. Officials are offering case-by-case waivers where travel is deemed to be in the national interest.

Why it matters

This expansion represents a major tightening of US immigration policy affecting dozens of countries, primarily based on national security concerns related to screening failures, terrorist activity, corruption, and lack of international cooperation. The policy continues Trump's aggressive approach to immigration control and could affect thousands of travelers while potentially straining diplomatic relationships with the affected nations.

What's next

The restrictions will remain in place until affected countries show "credible improvements" in identity management, information-sharing, and cooperation with US immigration authorities. No other explicit next steps are stated in the article.

Read full article from source: BBC