Trump Administration Considers Expanding Travel Ban to 36 Additional Countries

The Trump administration is reportedly reviewing a proposal to expand its existing travel ban by adding 36 more countries. The update was revealed in a State Department memo signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and sent on Saturday to U.S. diplomats working with the nations in question.

The list includes 25 countries from Africa, such as Egypt and Djibouti, which are considered key U.S. partners. 

It also includes countries from the Caribbean, Central Asia, and several Pacific Island nations. If implemented, the move would represent a further step in the administration’s tightening of immigration policy.

These countries were flagged for failing to meet certain benchmarks considered important by U.S. officials. The memo explains that the targeted governments have 60 days to meet specific requirements laid out by the State Department. 

The 36 countries listed in the memo are: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Ethiopia, Egypt, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, 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, and Zimbabwe.

This expanded list follows a presidential proclamation issued on June 4 that fully restricted entry from 12 countries. These include Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. 

Under the same order, partial restrictions were placed on travelers from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.

A spokesperson from the State Department said the agency does not comment on internal communications. The White House has not yet responded to requests for comment.