The United States government under President Donald Trump is planning a sweeping expansion of its travel restrictions, targeting 36 new countries—including Nigeria and 25 other African nations—according to an internal memo obtained by The Washington Post.
Signed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the memo outlines a proposal to impose visa limitations or outright entry bans on countries that fail to meet newly established security and identity verification standards. Among those listed are key U.S. partners such as Nigeria, Egypt, Ghana, and Djibouti.
The memo cites several reasons for the proposed sanctions: failure to provide reliable identity documents, high visa overstay rates, systemic corruption, and lax citizenship-by-investment schemes. It also points to what the U.S. government describes as “antisemitic and anti-American activity” in some of the targeted nations.
Countries have been given a 60-day window to comply with the new U.S. security requirements or face visa restrictions. They are expected to submit their preliminary compliance plans by June 18 at 8 a.m. to avoid being penalized.
“This marks one of the most aggressive immigration enforcement moves of Trump’s second term,” the report noted, drawing comparisons to the controversial “Muslim ban” implemented during his first term in office.
Critics have swiftly condemned the move.
“Even if this expansion is legal, it is not good policy,” said Stephen Yale-Loehr, a professor of immigration law at Cornell Law School. “The travel ban affects not only foreigners but U.S. citizens. Families will be separated because of this travel ban.”
According to the proposal, countries could avoid the sanctions by accepting deportees from the U.S. or entering “safe third country” agreements to process asylum seekers.
If enacted, the move is expected to spark international backlash and legal challenges similar to those faced by earlier travel bans during the Trump administration.
