Trump expands travel ban to FIVE more countries

Donald Trump has expanded his travel ban to include five more countries after the National Guard shooting.

Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria were added to the list of 12 predominantly African and Middle eastern countries on Tuesday. 

Fifteen additional nations now face narrower restrictions with impacts on visas, including Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe. 

The White House said the toughened restrictions were based on security assessments which showed 'persistent and severe deficiencies' in screening, vetting and information-sharing by the affected countries.

Officials cited high visa overstay rates, refusal to accept deported nationals, terror threats and unreliable local records which make background checks unreliable.

The decision comes after the Trump administration pledged to toughen the border following the shooting of two soldiers in Washington, DC, on November 26 - the day before Thanksgiving.

An Afghan immigrant, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, has been charged with murder over the killing of Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20. Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in hospital where he is undergoing rehabilitation after a stay in intensive care. 

In June, Trump announced that citizens of 12 countries would be banned from visiting the United States and those from seven others would face restrictions. The decision resurrected a hallmark policy of his first term.

At the time the ban included Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen and heightened restrictions on visitors from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. 

In the aftermath of the Thanksgiving shooting, it was revealed that Lakanwal had arrived in the US in 2021 as part of Joe Biden's disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan after serving as an ally of Special Forces troops in a CIA-backed unit.

He was granted asylum in April, making him eligible to apply for a green card after one year in the US.

He struggled with PTSD and other mental health issues related to his isolation and family problems after his arrival, reports say.  

Community leaders raised concerns about his deteriorating health before the shooting but support was limited. 

The dad-of-five is now facing first degree murder charges.

The shooting sparked an immediate crackdown on immigration, including pausing Afghan visa processing and retroactive reviews on green cards and asylums of those from banned countries, as well as halting benefits for immigrants from 19 countries.

Immigration activists warn and Democratic lawmakers have warned that the bans are too broad and jeopardize family reunifications.

Earlier this month, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that there would be a 'full travel ban' on countries that are sending 'killers, leeches and entitlement junkies' to the US.

She wrote on X: 'Our forefathers built this nation on blood, sweat, and the unyielding love of freedom - not for foreign invaders to slaughter our heroes, suck dry our hard-earned tax dollars, or snatch the benefits owed to AMERICANS. WE DON'T WANT THEM. NOT ONE.' 

Trump has deployed 2,300 National Guard troops into DC since August as part of his promise to crack down on rampant crime in the nation's capital.

The president ordered an additional 500 troops to deploy following the shooting.