Entry Ban Extended: Citizens of Seven More Countries Prohibited from Entering the United States, Bringing Total to 19

According to Rokna, the White House issued a statement confirming that the list of countries subject to U.S. entry restrictions has been expanded. Previously, under former President Donald Trump, citizens of 12 countries, including Iran, were already prohibited from entering the United States.

The statement from the White House indicated that Trump had signed an executive order “expanding and strengthening entry restrictions for nationals of countries with proven, persistent, and significant deficiencies in screening, background checks, and information sharing, in order to protect the United States from threats to national security and public safety.”

Reuters reported that the new measures, announced on Tuesday, will prohibit citizens of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, Syria, and holders of travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority from entering the United States. The policy also imposes a full entry ban on Laos and Sierra Leone, countries previously subject to partial restrictions.

The White House stated that the expanded ban will be implemented starting January 1.

The move comes after Trump, following historic talks in November with Ahmad Al-Sharaa, President of Syria, pledged to take all possible measures to support Syria’s success. Al-Sharaa, a former Al-Qaeda commander, had until recently been sanctioned by Washington as a foreign terrorist.

Trump publicly supported Al-Sharaa, a figure whose travels marked a remarkable year for the former insurgent and current Syrian leader. Al-Sharaa, who overthrew long-time Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad, has since traveled internationally to present himself as a moderate leader seeking national unity and an end to decades of international isolation.

However, Trump warned on the social media platform Truth Social of “very serious retaliatory measures” after the U.S. military reported that two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed in Syria in a suspected ISIS attack. The attacker targeted a convoy of U.S. and Syrian forces and was subsequently killed. Trump described the incident as “horrific” during a briefing with reporters.

The White House justification for the ban cited a high rate of visa overstays among Syrian nationals. According to the statement: “Syria is emerging from a prolonged period of internal unrest and civil conflict. Although the country is working closely with the United States to address its security challenges, it still lacks a proper central authority to issue passports or civil documents and does not have adequate measures for screening and background checks.”

The U.S. has also expanded partial restrictions to additional countries. In June, Trump signed an executive order prohibiting citizens of 12 countries from entering the United States and imposed partial restrictions on nationals of seven more countries, citing the need to protect against “foreign terrorists” and other security threats. These bans apply to both immigrant and non-immigrant categories, including tourists, students, and business travelers.