The United States is preparing to widen its travel ban to include more than 30 countries, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revealed on Thursday. Speaking on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle, Noem declined to confirm reports that the list would reach 32 nations but acknowledged the expansion is significant.
“I won’t be specific on the number, but it’s over 30, and the president is continuing to evaluate countries,” she stated.
President Donald Trump had previously signed a proclamation in June barring citizens from 12 nations and imposing restrictions on seven others, citing the need to guard against “foreign terrorists” and other security concerns. The restrictions apply to both immigrants and non-immigrants, including tourists, students, and business travellers.
Noem did not disclose which additional countries may be targeted, but stressed that nations lacking stable governance or reliable identity-verification systems pose heightened security risks. “If they can’t tell us who their people are and help us vet them, why should we allow them to come here?” she said.
Earlier, Reuters reported that the administration was weighing travel bans on citizens from 36 more countries, according to an internal State Department cable.
The potential expansion follows the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., last week. Authorities say the attacker was an Afghan national who arrived in 2021 under a resettlement program that Trump officials claim lacked adequate vetting. In the aftermath, Trump pledged to “permanently pause” migration from all “Third World Countries,” without naming any.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has intensified immigration enforcement efforts, including deploying federal agents to major cities, rejecting asylum seekers at the southern border, and ordering reviews of Biden-era asylum approvals and green cards issued to citizens of 19 nations.
The possible widening of the travel ban marks a significant escalation in the administration’s broader push to reshape both legal and illegal immigration policies.
By Reuters
