Trump's new travel ban? 41 countries could face visa restrictions

Trump's crackdown on immigration tightens as 41 nations face visa bans. A new policy could impose sweeping travel restrictions, echoing his first-term controversial ban

The Trump administration is considering imposing extensive travel restrictions on citizens from 41 countries as part of a new immigration ban, according to sources familiar with the matter and an internal memo reviewed by Reuters.  

 

The memo categorises the affected countries into three groups:  

 

1. Full visa suspension – 10 nations, including Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Cuba, and North Korea, would face a total visa ban, barring their citizens from entering the United States.  

 

2. Partial visa suspension – Five countries would see restrictions on tourist, student, and other immigrant visas, with some exceptions.  

 

3. Conditional suspension – 26 countries risk partial visa suspensions unless they address security concerns within 60 days.  

 

 

List of affected countries  

 

Full visa suspension:

 

- Afghanistan  

- Cuba  

- Iran  

- Libya  

- North Korea  

- Somalia  

- Sudan  

- Syria  

- Venezuela  

- Yemen  

 

Partial visa suspension (tourist, student, and other visas affected):

 

- Eritrea  

- Haiti  

- Laos  

- Myanmar  

- South Sudan  

 

Countries at risk of partial suspension (if security deficiencies are not addressed):

 

- Angola  

- Antigua and Barbuda  

- Belarus  

- Benin  

- Bhutan  

- Burkina Faso  

- Cabo Verde  

- Cambodia  

- Cameroon  

- Chad  

- Democratic Republic of the Congo  

- Dominica  

- Equatorial Guinea  

- Gambia  

- Liberia  

- Malawi  

- Mauritania  

- Pakistan  

- Republic of the Congo  

- Saint Kitts and Nevis  

- Saint Lucia  

- Sao Tome and Principe  

- Sierra Leone  

- East Timor  

- Turkmenistan  

- Vanuatu  

 

A senior US official, speaking anonymously, emphasized that the list is not final and remains subject to approval by the administration, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.  

 

The New York Times first reported the list of affected nations.  

 

Echoes of Trump’s previous travel ban 

 

The proposal mirrors Trump’s controversial 2017 travel ban, which initially targeted travelers from seven majority-Muslim countries. After multiple legal battles, the Supreme Court upheld the policy in 2018.  

 

On January 20, Trump signed an executive order mandating stricter security vetting for foreign nationals seeking entry into the US. The order requires cabinet members to submit a list of countries with inadequate screening processes by March 21, which could result in travel suspensions.  

 

This directive aligns with Trump's broader immigration crackdown, a key focus of his second term. In an October 2023 speech, he vowed to restrict entry from regions he described as security threats, including Gaza, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen.  

 

The State Department has not yet responded to a request for comment from Reuters.    (With agency inputs)