Trump administration considers expanding travel ban to 36 more countries

ISTANBUL

The US administration under President Donald Trump is weighing a sweeping expansion of its travel ban, potentially restricting entry from 36 additional countries, according to a confidential US State Department memo.

Obtained by The Washington Post, the memo was signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and dated Saturday, outlining a 60-day deadline for the targeted nations to meet a set of US benchmarks—or face full or partial visa bans.

The list includes 25 African nations—among them key US partners such as Egypt, Ethiopia, and Djibouti—along with countries in Central Asia, the Caribbean, and the Pacific. Other nations named include Syria, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, and Vanuatu.

According to the memo, countries under consideration either fail to produce reliable identity documents, have widespread fraud in civil records, or have a high number of visa overstays.

Additional reasons cited include the availability of citizenship through investment without residency, and claims of “antisemitic and anti-American activity in the United States.”

Countries can avoid sanctions by presenting an action plan by Wednesday at 8 am (1200GMT), and potentially by agreeing to accept deported third-country nationals or entering a “safe third country” agreement.

This move follows a June 4 presidential proclamation that fully restricted travel from 13 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, and Somalia, and partially restricted travel from seven others. The administration’s latest proposal would mark a dramatic escalation in immigration policy.

The State Department declined to comment on internal deliberations, and the White House has not responded to media inquiries.

Democrats and civil rights groups were quick to condemn the proposal. Critics likened it to Trump’s earlier travel bans, calling them discriminatory and citing the disproportionate number of African and Caribbean nations targeted.

While former President Joe Biden revoked Trump’s original travel bans during his term, Trump vowed to revive and expand them.

On Inauguration Day this year, the White House issued an executive order instructing agencies to identify countries with “deficient vetting and screening” processes—laying the groundwork for this latest action.

Trump has publicly promised the policy would return “bigger than before.”