U.S. Plans Major Expansion of Travel Ban to Over 30 Countries, Noem Confirms
Trump administration signals sweeping new immigration restrictions as security concerns drive a broader review of visas, asylum cases, and legal entry pathways.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Thursday that the United States plans to expand the number of countries included in the travel ban to more than 30, according to Reuters.
In an interview on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle,” Noem was asked to confirm whether President Donald Trump’s administration would increase the number of countries on the travel-ban list to 32. She responded: “I won’t be specific about the number, but it’s more than 30, and the president continues to evaluate the countries.”
Expanded Travel Restrictions Under Review
Last June, Trump signed a proclamation banning the entry of citizens from 12 countries into the United States and restricting entry for citizens of seven additional countries, saying the move was necessary to protect against “foreign terrorists” and other security threats. The ban applies to immigrants as well as non-immigrants such as tourists, students, and business travelers.
Noem did not specify which countries would be added, but she said: “If they don’t have a stable government there, if they don’t have a country capable of supporting itself and telling us who these individuals are and helping us verify them, then why would we allow people from that country to come to the United States?”
Reuters previously reported that the Trump administration was considering blocking citizens from an additional 36 countries from entering the United States, according to an internal State Department cable.
Expanding the list would represent a further escalation of the administration’s immigration measures following the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C. last week.
Heightened Immigration Crackdown After D.C. Shooting
Investigators say the shooting was carried out by an Afghan national who entered the United States in 2021 through a resettlement program that Trump administration officials claimed lacked sufficient vetting.
Days after the shooting, Trump vowed to “permanently stop immigration” from all “third-world countries,” although he did not specify any nation by name nor define what he meant by “third-world countries.”
Earlier, Homeland Security officials said Trump had ordered a wide-ranging review of asylum cases approved under his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden, as well as green cards issued to citizens of 19 countries.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has made immigration enforcement a top priority—deploying federal agents to major U.S. cities and blocking asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Although his administration has repeatedly highlighted its deportation campaign, it has so far not focused heavily on efforts to overhaul legal immigration systems.
