President Donald Trump has signed a new Proclamation further tightening entry into the United States by expanding travel restrictions to include 15 additional countries under partial limitations.
The Proclamation was signed on Tuesday by President Trump as part of the administration’s ongoing push to strengthen US travel and security standards.
Countries newly placed under partial restrictions include Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The directive also maintains full travel restrictions on the original 12 countries previously classified as high-risk. These are Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
In addition, full restrictions have now been imposed on five more countries following updated security assessments. These include Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria. The Proclamation also applies full restrictions to individuals holding travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority.
Two countries, Laos and Sierra Leone, which were previously 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 Proclamation lifts the ban on nonimmigrant visas for Turkmenistan, citing improved cooperation with US authorities. Despite this change, restrictions on immigrant visas for Turkmen nationals remain in effect.
The new measures include exemptions for lawful permanent residents of the United States, individuals who already hold valid visas, certain categories such as athletes and diplomats, as well as persons whose entry is deemed to be in the national interest of the United States.
