President Donald Trump has signed a new proclamation expanding travel restrictions on foreign nationals entering the United States, placing 15 additional countries under partial travel bans.
The proclamation, signed on Tuesday, is part of the administration’s continued efforts to tighten U.S. travel and security standards.
Countries newly placed under partial restrictions are Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The directive maintains full travel restrictions on the original 12 countries previously designated as high risk: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
In addition, full restrictions have been imposed on five more countries following recent security assessments. These are Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria. The proclamation also applies full restrictions to individuals using Palestinian Authority–issued travel documents.
Two countries, Laos and Sierra Leone, which were previously under partial restrictions, have now been moved to the full restriction category. Partial restrictions, however, remain in place for Burundi, Cuba, Togo, and Venezuela.
The proclamation lifts nonimmigrant visa bans on Turkmenistan, citing improved cooperation with U.S. authorities, while immigrant visa restrictions on the country remain in effect.
Exemptions under the policy include lawful permanent residents, current visa holders, select visa categories such as diplomats and athletes, and individuals whose entry is deemed to be in the national interest of the United States.