The Trump administration has given 36 African countries (most of which are in Africa) to promise to strengthen travel review procedures or to face the possibility of a travel ban on citizens entering the United States.
Diplomatic Cable, sent by the State Department over the weekend, directed embassies and consulates directed to those countries to improve travel documents and assess the willingness to assess the host states to address the willingness to improve the travel documents and resolve the status of citizens currently living in the United States.
Associated Press
Why is it important?
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump issued a declaration restricting travel by foreigners from 12 countries, partially restricting entry from seven more countries. The ban that Trump said was to “protect the nation from foreign terrorists and other threats to national security and public security,” and came into effect on June 9th.
Since taking office on January 20th, Trump has cracked down on foreigners in the United States primarily through executive orders, prioritizing immigration enforcement as a key pillar of his agenda.
The 12 countries subject to the current travel ban include Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Additional visa restrictions apply to citizens of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
What do you know
The cables listed on the Associated Press will instruct the country to take corrective action within 60 days or risk being added to an existing travel ban list, including already 12 countries. Of the 36 newly targeted countries, 25 are in Africa. This illustrates the latest efforts to address the Trump administration's visa tenure and link US entry policies with national security concerns. President Trump claims that certain countries have a “inadequate” screening system or that he has refused to accept historically deported citizens.
While some countries have condemned travel restrictions and threatened mutual action, refugees and resettlement groups have argued that policies promote division.
At a press conference Tuesday, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce declined to comment on the details of cables originally reported by the Washington Post, but confirmed the administration's purpose. She said the United States is “seeking the country to improve its own review process for passport owners, accept citizens who have been deported from the country, and take other steps to ensure that citizens are not a threat to the United States.
The list includes major US partners such as Egypt and Djibouti, both of which include military ties with Washington and historically friendly countries such as Liberia, Nigeria and Ethiopia. In particular, Syria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have existed since the first travel ban, but are now included.
Already facing another State Department travel ban, South Sudan has seen most of its citizens' US visas being revoked under previous restrictions. Earlier this month, President Trump enacted a travel ban in 12 countries and imposed additional visa restrictions on seven other countries. The order banned the issuance of new visas, but did not revoke people who were already granted.
The 36 countries identified in the new State Department Cable are:
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What people are saying
Bruce said Tuesday: “We are considering providing a certain period of time. (If the country) has to do anything that is necessary to reach a point where we can trust, change the system, update it, and convince us that we can trust the process and the information they have.”
A State Department spokesman told Newsweek in an email Sunday:
In a press release on June 5th, Amnesty International Executive Director Agnese Caramad said: The idea is that certain groups pose security risks or are more likely to engage in violent acts. ”
Sen. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, wrote on June 4th, X, on his previous Twitter:
What will happen next
It remains unclear whether countries that are committed to reform but have not met the US benchmark within the 60-day window will still be subject to the ban.
This article contains reports from the Associated Press.
Updated: 6/17/25, 6:52 PM ET: This article has been updated with new information and comments.
