Trump Expands US Travel Ban to Eight More Countries, Including Syria and Palestine

By Staff, Agencies

US President Donald Trump has expanded America’s travel ban list, adding eight more countries and territories, including Syria and the Palestinian Authority, with the new restrictions set to take effect on January 1.

The White House said in a proclamation on Tuesday that the move is part of broader efforts to tighten entry restrictions on foreign nationals from countries with “chronic vetting deficiencies.”

This makes it difficult for US authorities to assess whether travelers are admissible. Such gaps, it warned, could be exploited to “threaten United States national security.”

Under the expanded ban, entry will be barred for citizens of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, Syria, Laos, and Sierra Leone, as well as individuals traveling on Palestinian Authority-issued documents.

Syria was added to the list just days after two US soldiers and a civilian were killed there by a suspected Islamic State (ISIL, formerly ISIS) gunman.

The decision came despite Trump’s recent rapprochement with the new government in Damascus, which assumed power last year following the ouster of longtime president Bashar Assad.

The proclamation specifies that the restrictions will not apply to individuals who have already been granted asylum in the United States.

The latest expansion follows an earlier proclamation in June 2025 that imposed travel restrictions on nationals from 19 countries on national security grounds.

Trump has recently drawn controversy for remarks targeting immigrants from Somalia, criticizing the Somali diaspora after a fraud scandal in Minnesota.

Last month, he said the US risks “going the wrong way” if it continues to accept what he called “garbage,” urging African migrants to return home.