Trump imposes a complete travel ban on seven other countries, the Palestinians

• The White House says the expanded ban takes effect Jan. 1.
• Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, Syria are subject to a travel ban.
• Some restrictions, entry restrictions in an additional 15 states.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday expanded the US travel ban by barring entry to the United States to nationals of seven more countries, including Syria, as well as Palestinian Authority passport holders.

The White House said in a statement that Trump signed a proclamation “to expand and strengthen entry restrictions on nationals from countries with demonstrated, persistent, and serious deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information sharing to protect the Nation from national security and public safety threats.”

Tuesday’s move banned citizens from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, Syria and those holding travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority. The action also imposes a complete ban on Laos and Sierra Leone, which were previously subject to only partial restrictions.

The White House said the expanded ban goes into effect on January 1.

The move comes despite Trump’s pledge to do everything he can to make Syria successful after landmark talks in November with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda commander who until recently was designated a foreign terrorist by Washington.

Trump endorsed Saraa, whose visit capped a stunning year for the rebel-turned-leader who toppled longtime autocratic leader Bashar al-Assad and has since traveled the world trying to portray himself as a moderate leader who wants to unite his war-torn nation and end decades of international isolation.

But in a post on the Truth Social platform on Saturday, Trump promised “very serious retaliation” after the US military said two US soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed in Syria by a suspected Daesh attacker who targeted a convoy of US and Syrian forces before being shot. He described the incident in statements to reporters as a “terrible” attack.

In its justification for the ban, the White House cited visa overstay rates for Syria.

“Syria is emerging from a prolonged period of civil unrest and internal strife. While the country is working to address its security challenges in close coordination with the United States, Syria still lacks an adequate central authority to issue passports or political documents and lacks appropriate vetting and vetting measures,” the White House said.

US adds more nations to list of partial restrictions

Trump signed a proclamation in June barring citizens of 12 countries from entering the United States and restricting entry to those from seven others, saying it was necessary to protect against “foreign terrorists” and other security threats. The bans apply to both immigrants and non-immigrants, such as tourists, students and business travelers.

The travel ban remains in place in those twelve countries, the White House said.

Trump also added some restrictions and entry restrictions to an additional 15 countries, including Nigeria, which is under the control of Trump, who, in early November, threatened military action over the treatment of Christians in the country.

Nigeria says claims that Christians face persecution misrepresent a complex security situation and ignore efforts to ensure religious freedom.

Since returning to office in January, Trump has aggressively prioritized immigration enforcement, sending federal agents to major US cities and turning away asylum seekers at the US-Mexico border.

The expansion of countries subject to entry restrictions marks a further escalation of immigration measures taken by the administration following the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, DC, last month.

Investigators say the shooting was carried out by an Afghan national who entered the US. in 2021 through a resettlement program that Trump administration officials argued was insufficiently vetted.

Days after the shooting, Trump vowed to “permanently end” immigration from all “Third World Countries,” though he did not identify any by name or definition of the term.