The United States is moving toward one of its most sweeping immigration and security policy shifts in recent years, with plans to broaden its travel ban from the current 19 nations to well over 30, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has confirmed. Speaking on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle, Noem said the administration is in the final stages of reviewing which additional countries will be added, although she declined to specify the exact number.
When pressed about reports that the list could grow to 32 nations, Noem did not confirm the figure but stated, “It’s over 30, and the president is continuing to evaluate countries.” She emphasized that national security remains the top priority.
This expansion builds upon a presidential proclamation issued earlier this year that already barred nationals from 12 countries and imposed partial restrictions on seven more. The existing measures affect long-term immigrants as well as short-term visitors—tourists, students, business travelers—under the justification that increased vetting is necessary to prevent infiltration by foreign extremists.
Why the travel ban is widening?
According to Noem and reports cited by Reuters, the main driver behind the expansion is the inability of certain governments to verify the identities of individuals seeking entry to the United States. Noem argued that if a nation lacks stable governance or adequate documentation systems, the US cannot rely on it to help vet applicants.
“If they cannot tell us who their citizens are, why should we allow people from that country to come here?” she said, underscoring that the administration sees security considerations as more important than diplomatic fallout.
An internal State Department memo—first reported months ago, indicated officials had evaluated adding 36 more countries to the list. While the idea had been under discussion for some time, recent events accelerated the decision-making process.
The trigger, a national guard shooting
The immediate catalyst was the fatal shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., an incident authorities say was carried out by an Afghan national who entered through a resettlement pathway created in 2021. Trump administration officials have argued that the vetting system for that program was insufficient, using the tragedy to push for a sweeping reset of immigration channels.
President Trump responded by declaring that migration from all “Third World countries” should be paused indefinitely. Under the administration’s updated scrutiny list, the 19 currently designated nations include Afghanistan, Myanmar, Burundi, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Venezuela, and Yemen.
A broader immigration overhaul
The travel ban expansion is part of a larger immigration strategy since Trump returned to office in January. The administration has escalated deportation operations, strengthened federal enforcement in major cities, and tightened restrictions at the US–Mexico border.
While much public attention has focused on asylum crackdowns and border operations, expanding the travel ban represents one of the administration’s most significant reshaping efforts of legal immigration itself, potentially affecting global student movement, refugee admissions, business travel, and tourism.
With the list expected to exceed 30 countries, the US is preparing for its most consequential entry-policy transformation in years.
