The Trump administration is significantly expanding its controversial travel ban, adding five new countries and Palestinian Authority passport holders to the list of those facing full entry restrictions. Set to take effect on New Year’s Day, this move adds five new countries to the full ban list: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria. Of these, four are African nations. The White House also elevated Laos and Sierra Leone from partial to full restrictions. Meanwhile, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and 12 other countries face tighter but partial restrictions. The White House says the move is driven by national security concerns, citing weak overseas screening systems, high visa overstay rates, corruption, and limited cooperation on deportations. This marks the third iteration of the policy, which was initially launched in 2017.
BBC
