ISTANBUL

The US is considering expanding the number of countries covered by its travel ban to more than 30 countries, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Thursday.

"I won't be specific on the number, but it's over 30, and the President (Donald Trump) is continuing to evaluate countries," Noem told Fox News.

She questioned why the US should allow entry from nations without a "stable government" that cannot "sustain itself" or help vet individuals seeking entry to America.

Noem said Monday that she is recommending "a full travel ban on every damn country that's been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies."

The travel ban debate intensified after Trump on Nov. 28 threatened to permanently pause migration from "third world countries.”

The statement followed a Nov. 26 shooting near the White House that killed one National Guard member and injured another. The suspect, a 29-year-old Afghan national granted asylum in April, entered the US in 2021 following the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan and had previously worked with several US government entities, including the CIA, according to US media reports.

The incident prompted immediate halts on new Afghan visas and asylum decisions, reviving scrutiny of a June executive order restricting entry from 19 countries due to vetting gaps, visa overstays and deportation refusals.