The United States government is reportedly considering a sweeping expansion of its travel ban policy to include 36 additional countries, among them Nigeria, in what could become one of the most far-reaching immigration restrictions proposed under former President Donald Trump’s administration.
According to an internal memo from the U.S. State Department, obtained by The Washington Post, the new list of countries under review spans multiple regions, with African nations making up nearly 70% of the total.
The proposed additions include 25 countries from the continent such as Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, and Ethiopia. Also named are Egypt and Djibouti, both of which maintain long-standing diplomatic and security relationships with the United States.
Other countries listed include small island nations in the Caribbean and Pacific, as well as Central Asian states like Kyrgyzstan and Bhutan. A THISDAY analysis of the document highlighted the potentially sweeping implications of the proposed policy shift.
The memo, signed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, was distributed to American diplomats on Monday. It gives the governments of the affected countries 60 days to comply with newly established State Department benchmarks.
Nations were instructed to submit initial action plans by 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday to avoid future visa restrictions or outright travel bans.
Cited criteria for inclusion in the proposed ban include an inability to issue reliable identity or civil documents, high rates of visa overstays by nationals in the U.S., significant levels of government corruption, or offering economic citizenship without requiring residency.
Some countries were flagged over allegations of antisemitic or anti-American activities by their citizens in the U.S.
The memo further noted that countries willing to cooperate on repatriation agreements or enter into “safe third country” arrangements could potentially avoid or mitigate the restrictions.
While no official implementation date has been set, the deliberations indicate the Trump administration’s renewed intent to reintroduce aggressive immigration controls — a key element of Trump’s campaign rhetoric and prior executive actions.
This development follows the June 4 presidential proclamation that imposed full entry bans on individuals from countries such as Afghanistan, Iran, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen, and partial restrictions on travelers from nations including Venezuela, Cuba, and Togo.
Critics have condemned the broader travel ban initiative as discriminatory and politically motivated, drawing parallels to the controversial 2017 “Muslim ban” during Trump’s first term.
That order was challenged in court multiple times before a revised version was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018. President Joe Biden reversed it on his first day in office.
Despite its rollback under the Biden administration, Trump has pledged to not only reinstate but expand the travel ban if re-elected, promising a version “bigger than before.”
The current proposal aligns with that pledge, as agencies were directed via executive order to identify countries with “deficient vetting and screening standards.”
Among the African countries named in the latest list are Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Gambia, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Others include Antigua and Barbuda, Bhutan, Cambodia, Dominica, Kyrgyzstan, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Syria, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
Both the White House and State Department have declined to comment on the leaked memo, citing internal deliberations.
If implemented, the expanded restrictions would represent one of the largest immigration enforcement measures enacted by a U.S. administration in decades.
