U.S. Expands Travel Restrictions on High-Risk Countries to Strengthen National Security

17 December 2025: President Donald J. Trump today signed a Proclamation expanding U.S. travel restrictions on nationals from countries with demonstrated deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information-sharing. The move aims to protect U.S. national security and public safety.

The new Proclamation builds on Proclamation 10949, which originally restricted entry from 12 high-risk countries: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.

 

Key Updates in the 2025 Proclamation:

Full Restrictions:

• Newly restricted countries: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, Syria

• Partial restrictions upgraded to full: Laos, Sierra Leone

• Palestinian Authority-issued travel documents are also subject to full restrictions

Partial Restrictions:

• Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, Zimbabwe

• Original countries with partial restrictions remain: Burundi, Cuba, Togo, Venezuela

Lifted Restrictions:

• Turkmenistan nonimmigrant visas are now permitted, following improved cooperation and vetting progress; immigrant entry remains suspended.

rity, emphasizing their legitimate purpose in protecting national security.

Justification:
The Proclamation is grounded in data-driven assessments of security risks, visa overstay rates, and the inability of certain countries to adequately verify identities or enforce immigration compliance. Many restricted countries face widespread corruption, weak civil registration, and terrorist or extremist activity, making comprehensive vetting challenging.

For example:

• Burkina Faso: 9.16% B-1/B-2 visa overstay; 22.95% student/visitor overstay; refusal to repatriate removable nationals.

• Laos: B-1/B-2 overstay of 28.34%; student/visitor overstay 11.41%; historically fails to accept back nationals.

• Syria: Weak central authority for passports and civil documents; ongoing civil unrest.

• Palestinian Authority documents: Inadequate vetting due to security and administrative challenges.

Other countries are subject to partial restrictions based on overstay rates and potential security risks, while allowing exceptions for lawful permanent residents, certain visa categories, diplomats, and other individuals serving U.S. interests.

National Security Objective:
The Proclamation ensures that foreign nationals entering the U.S. are adequately vetted to prevent harm to American citizens, uphold immigration laws, and strengthen cooperation with international partners. Each restriction is tailored to the unique circumstances of the country involved.

Previous Legal Endorsement:
The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld such travel restrictions as within the scope of Presidential autho