Overview
- A presidential proclamation signed December 16 imposes full entry bans on citizens of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria, and fully restricts entry for people traveling on Palestinian Authority–issued documents.
- Fifteen countries face new partial limits on certain visas and travel categories: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
- The administration cites security concerns tied to unreliable civil documents, corruption, gaps in criminal‑record reporting, high U.S. visa overstays and poor information‑sharing or deportation cooperation.
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services says it has paused green card and naturalization applications for nationals of 19 previously listed countries and halted pending asylum decisions as part of related policy changes.
- The expansion brings the total under full or partial restrictions to roughly 39–40 countries, preserves exemptions and case‑by‑case waivers for existing visa holders, lawful permanent residents and certain official travel, and is expected to face legal and diplomatic pushback.