Washington Expands Travel Restrictions, Adds Dozens of Countries
PUBLISHED Dec 16, 2025, 3:48 PM ET
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Washington — President Donald Trump publicly signed a formal proclamation Tuesday expanding U.S. travel and entry restrictions, adding multiple countries to full bans and imposing new limits on others. The administration raised the list from an earlier June order, now covering about 39 to 40 countries, including Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, Syria, Laos and Sierra Leone, and restricting Palestinian Authority travel documents. The White House cited deficiencies in screening, vetting and information-sharing and set the measures to take effect January 1. Visa holders, lawful permanent residents and certain categories remain exempt. Based on 11 articles reviewed and supporting research.
By Sarah Whitman | JQJO News
Timeline of Events
- June: Administration issued initial restrictions on 12 fully restricted and 7 partially restricted countries.
- Late November/Thanksgiving weekend: Arrest of an Afghan national cited in media as contextual driver.
- Dec. 16–17: President signed proclamation expanding full and partial entry restrictions to additional countries.
- White House released a fact sheet explaining screening, vetting and information-sharing deficiencies.
- Jan. 1, 2026: New restrictions scheduled to take effect, with stated exemptions for certain visa categories.
- Articles Published:
- 11
- Right Leaning:
- 1
- Left Leaning:
- 0
- Neutral:
- 10
- Distribution:
- Left 0%, Center 91%, Right 9%
U.S. government and national security agencies gained expanded legal authority and policy tools to tighten vetting and restrict entry, according to White House statements and official proclamations.
Citizens of newly banned countries, holders of Palestinian Authority travel documents, migrants and refugee families face new travel restrictions and disrupted migration pathways.
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Washington Expands Travel Restrictions, Adds Dozens of Countries
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Trump expands travel ban with five new countries, tightens Palestinian travel document restrictions
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