The United States plans to expand its travel ban to include more than 30 countries, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Thursday.
Speaking on Fox News, Noem declined to provide an exact figure when asked if the list would grow to 32 nations. “I won’t be specific on the number, but it’s over 30, and the president is continuing to evaluate countries,” she said.
Noem justified the expansion by questioning the reliability of vetting processes in some nations. “If they don’t have a stable government there, if they don’t have a country that can sustain itself and tell us who those individuals are and help us vet them, why should we allow people from that country to come here to the United States?” she asked.
The move builds on a proclamation President Donald Trump signed in June that banned citizens from 12 countries and restricted those from seven others, citing national security threats. The bans apply to both immigrants and non-immigrants, including tourists, students, and business travelers.
This latest expansion is part of a broader escalation of immigration measures following last week’s shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C. Investigators believe the shooter was an Afghan national who entered the U.S. in 2021 through a resettlement program that Trump administration officials have criticized for insufficient vetting.
In the days following the incident, Trump vowed to “permanently pause” migration from “Third World Countries,” though he did not specify which nations would be affected. His administration has also ordered a widespread review of asylum cases approved under his predecessor, Joe Biden, and of Green Cards issued to citizens of 19 countries.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has aggressively prioritized immigration enforcement. While much of the initial focus was on border security and deportations, the expansion of the travel ban signals a growing effort to reshape legal immigration.
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