Trump adds seven countries, including Syria, to full travel ban list
· The Straits TimesWASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump on Dec 16 expanded a list of countries subject to a full travel ban
, prohibiting citizens from an additional seven countries, including Syria, from entering the US.
The White House said in a statement that Mr Trump signed a proclamation “expanding and strengthening entry restrictions on nationals from countries with demonstrated, persistent, and severe deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information-sharing to protect the nation from national security and public safety threats”.
The Dec 16 move banned citizens from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, Syria and those holding Palestinian Authority-issued travel documents. The action also imposes a full ban on Laos and Sierra Leone, which had previously only been subject to partial restrictions.
The White House said the expanded ban goes into effect on Jan 1.
The action comes despite Mr Trump’s vow to do everything he could to make Syria successful after landmark talks in November with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda commander who until recently was sanctioned by Washington as a foreign terrorist.
Mr Trump has backed Mr Sharaa, whose visit capped a stunning year for the rebel-turned-ruler who toppled long-time autocratic leader Bashar al-Assad and has since travelled the world trying to depict himself as a moderate leader who wants to unify his war-ravaged nation and end its decades of international isolation.
But in a post on his Truth Social platform on Dec 13, Trump vowed “very serious retaliation” after the US military said two US Army soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed in Syria by a suspected ISIS attacker who targeted a convoy of American and Syrian forces before being shot dead.
He described the incident in remarks to reporters as a “terrible” attack.
The White House cited visa overstay rates for Syria in its justification for the ban.
“Syria is emerging from a protracted period of civil unrest and internal strife. While the country is working to address its security challenges in close coordination with the US, Syria still lacks an adequate central authority for issuing passports or civil documents and does not have appropriate screening and vetting measures,” the White House said.
US adds more nations to partial restrictions list
Mr Trump signed a proclamation in June banning the citizens of 12 countries from entering the US and restricting those from seven others, saying it was needed to protect against “foreign terrorists” and other security threats.
The bans apply to both immigrants and non-immigrants, such as tourists, students and business travelers.
The travel ban remains on those twelve countries, the White House said.
Mr Trump also added partial restrictions and entry limitations on an additional 15 countries, including Nigeria, which is under scrutiny from Mr Trump, who in early November threatened military action over the treatment of Christians in the country.
Nigeria says claims that Christians face persecution misrepresent a complex security situation and do not take into account efforts to safeguard religious freedom.
Since returning to office in January, Mr Trump has aggressively prioritised immigration enforcement
, sending federal agents to major US cities and turning away asylum seekers at the US-Mexico border.
The expansion of the countries subject to entry restrictions marks a further escalation of immigration measures the administration has taken since the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington
, in November.
Investigators say the shooting was carried out by an Afghan national
who entered the US in 2021 through a resettlement programme under which Trump administration officials have argued there was insufficient vetting.
Days after the shooting, Mr Trump vowed to “permanently pause” migration
from all “Third World countries” although he did not identify any by name or define the term. REUTERS