Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is recommending that the Trump administration increase the travel ban list from 19 countries to 30 or 32 nations, according to a CNN report. Nationals from these countries currently face restrictions on travel to the United States.
Trump to expand travel ban to 30 nations
A CNN source said the list could continue to grow depending on ongoing assessments, but it is unclear which countries would be added or when the expansion will be officially announced. “We will be announcing the list soon,” a spokesperson for DHS was quoted as saying by NBC News.
Noem said Monday that after meeting President Trump, she recommended a “full travel ban” on “every damn country that’s been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies.”
On X (Formerly Twitter), Noem wrote, “Our forefathers built this nation on blood, sweat, and the unyielding love of freedom, not for foreign invaders to slaughter our heroes, suck dry our hard-earned tax dollars, or snatch the benefits owed to AMERICANS. We don’t want them, not one.” Trump later reposted Noem’s statement on his own social media without adding any remarks.
Immigration applications from 19 countries paused
On Tuesday, the Trump administration paused all immigration applications from the 19 countries on the ban list, The New York Times reported. This includes Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
The abrupt pause, effective immediately, will affect several immigration procedures. This means people waiting for their application approvals from these countries will be told that their interviews are cancelled. This applies to:
- Green card interviews
- Naturalization interviews
- Oath ceremonies for citizenship
- Other immigration benefits
In June, Trump had already banned nationals from 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, from entering the US In October, the administration lowered the refugee admissions cap to 7,500, the lowest in history.
The recommendation comes shortly after a shooting in Washington, DC., that killed one National Guard member and left another severely injured. The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is an Afghan national who had previously worked with the US in Afghanistan. He moved to Washington state under the Biden administration and was later granted asylum.
On Thanksgiving Day, Trump said he wanted to “permanently pause migration from all third-world countries” and also mentioned “reverse migration.” Analysts suggest this means that some naturalised American citizens could lose citizenship, and immigrants considered “non-compatible with Western civilisation” might face deportation.