Trump administration gives 36 countries new deadline to avoid travel ban

A diplomatic cable instructed embassies to assess if host nations will improve travel documentation, vetting process, and cooperate on resolving the status of their citizens living illegally in the US

The Trump administration has given 36 countries, most of them in Africa, a Wednesday deadline to commit to strengthening travel vetting procedures or risk a potential ban on their citizens entering the United States.

 

A diplomatic cable sent over the weekend by the US State Department instructed embassies and consulates in these countries to assess their host governments’ willingness to enhance travel documentation, improve vetting processes, and cooperate in resolving the status of their nationals living illegally in the US.

 

The cable, described to the Associated Press, warns that failure to act within 60 days could result in inclusion on the US travel ban list, which currently covers 12 countries. Of the 36 countries identified, 25 are in Africa. 

 

Vetting standards and deportation cooperation central to US demands

 

While declining to comment on specifics, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce confirmed the administration’s push for stronger documentation standards, deportation cooperation, and assurances that foreign nationals do not pose a security threat.

 

“We’re looking at providing a period of time for these countries to improve their systems. If they fail to meet our standards—where we can trust the process and the information they provide—they’ll need to make necessary updates and changes to gain that trust,” Bruce said.

 

Full list of countries targeted by the US State Department cable

 

The 36 countries named in the cable include: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Ethiopia, Egypt, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia and Zimbabwe. 

 

Renewed travel ban central to Trump’s immigration strategy

 

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation restricting travel from 12 countries and partially limiting entry from another seven. The new restrictions, effective from June 9, were introduced to “protect the nation from foreign terrorist and other national security and public safety threats,” Trump said.

 

The renewed travel ban forms part of Trump’s broader immigration agenda, focused on curbing undocumented migration, expediting deportations, and advancing construction of the US–Mexico border wall—central themes in his 2024 re-election campaign. 

 

Current US travel ban already affects multiple nations

 

The current ban applies to nationals from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Partial restrictions apply to travellers from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.  (With agency inputs)