In a major escalation of border security policy, President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, a significant expansion of travel restrictions affecting 24 additional countries and the Palestinian Authority.

Citing “severe deficiencies in screening and vetting,” the administration has now brought the total number of nations under U.S. travel restrictions to 39.

The new proclamation, set to take effect on January 1, 2026, follows a period of heightened tension after the November shooting of two National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C.

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According to the White House, the decision was taken to prevent the entry of foreign nationals “about whom the United States lacks sufficient reliable information.”

Officials said many of the affected countries still lack effective central authorities for issuing passports or maintain civil documentation systems that are considered unreliable for proper vetting.

The latest expansion was driven by recent security incidents and intelligence assessments. In late November, a 29-year-old Afghan national allegedly shot two National Guard soldiers near the White House in Washington, D.C.

The suspect had reportedly been granted asylum earlier in the year, prompting a comprehensive review of immigration statuses linked to several countries described as “countries of concern.”

In addition, renewed attacks in Syria played a key role in the policy shift. The killing of two U.S. soldiers and a civilian interpreter by ISIS-linked militants, despite ongoing diplomatic outreach to Syria’s new leadership, accelerated Syria’s placement under the strictest category of the ban.

U.S. officials also pointed to high visa overstay rates, terrorism-related activity, and weak information-sharing frameworks as major factors behind the inclusion of several countries, including Nigeria.

The government said a 60-day window granted in August 2025 for affected countries to improve vetting and security cooperation had expired without sufficient progress.

List of New Countries and Restriction Levels

The proclamation groups the newly added jurisdictions into two main categories: Full Suspension and Partial Suspension.

Full Suspension (7 Countries and the Palestinian Authority)

These jurisdictions face a near-total ban on the entry of most immigrants and non-immigrants into the United States.

Africa: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, South Sudan

Asia: Laos, Syria

Middle East: Individuals traveling on Palestinian Authority-issued travel documents

Partial Suspension (16 Countries)
These countries face restrictions on specific visa categories, mainly tourist, business, student, and exchange visas (B-1, B-2, F, M, and J).

The measures are largely tied to security assessments and visa overstay data.

Africa: Nigeria, Angola, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Senegal, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Caribbean and Oceania: Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Tonga

Asia: Turkmenistan (restrictions apply to immigrant visas only, as non-immigrant bans were lifted following what the U.S. described as “significant progress”)

Nigeria’s inclusion was linked to ongoing security challenges posed by terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and ISIS affiliates, as well as concerns over visa compliance.

Exceptions and Reactions

Despite the broad scope of the restrictions, the proclamation outlines limited exemptions. •Lawful Permanent Residents
•Accredited diplomats
•Professional athletes and their support staff on a case-by-case basis
•Individuals holding valid U.S. visas issued before the ban takes effect may still be allowed entry.

Critics of the policy argue that the sweeping nature of the ban could disrupt international engagements, hinder educational and business exchanges, and separate families.

However, U.S. officials have defended the move as a “common sense” response to unresolved security gaps.

The December expansion follows an earlier travel ban introduced in June 2025, which initially covered 12 countries.

The latest decision signals a broader and more aggressive approach, with a strong focus on African and Muslim-majority nations, as the administration prioritises border security and immigration control.

Australian police say the deadly shooting at a Hanukkah gathering in Sydney’s Bondi Beach was carried out by two men who were influenced by the extremist group ISIL.

Authorities confirmed that the attack, which claimed the lives of 15 people, is being treated as an act of terrorism. Investigators are also looking into a recent overseas trip taken by the suspects to the Philippines as part of efforts to establish the full scope of their actions and possible links.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said preliminary findings suggest the incident was ideologically motivated, describing it as an attack inspired by Islamic State thinking. She emphasized that the case should not be linked to any faith, but rather to individuals who had embraced violent extremist beliefs.

Police identified one of the suspects as 50-year-old Sajid Akram, who was killed by officers responding to the scene. His 24-year-old son, reported by local media to be Naveed Akram, was also shot and remains in critical condition in hospital.

Investigators said the two men fired indiscriminately at a large crowd gathered for the beachside celebration. The shooting unfolded over roughly 10 minutes, triggering panic at one of the country’s busiest and most well-known public locations.

Security officials disclosed that items found in the attackers’ vehicle included homemade ISIL flags and an improvised explosive device. The discovery has intensified scrutiny of the suspects’ recent movements, including their trip to the Philippines, the purpose of which has yet to be determined.

Police said they are still working to establish where the men travelled during that visit and whether it had any connection to extremist networks. Authorities in the Philippines are also conducting parallel investigations.

Armed groups aligned with ISIL have previously operated in parts of southern Philippines, particularly on Mindanao island. Although their influence has declined significantly, remnants of these groups are believed to remain active in smaller formations.

Their presence is far weaker than during the 2017 siege of Marawi, when ISIL-linked fighters took control of the city, leading to months of fighting that left more than 1,000 people dead.

The Bondi Beach shooting is the deadliest mass gun attack recorded in Australia in almost three decades. In addition to those killed, about 25 people were wounded, several of them sustaining life-threatening injuries.

American armed forces say they launched attacks on three boats in the Pacific Ocean that they allege were being used for drug smuggling, resulting in the deaths of eight people.

According to the military, video evidence of the operations was shared online, with officials stating that the boats were “transiting along known narco-trafficking routes… and were engaged in narco-trafficking”.

These incidents are part of a broader series of maritime strikes carried out across the Pacific and Caribbean in recent months. More than 20 vessels have been hit, and at least 90 people have been killed as President Donald Trump intensifies efforts against groups he claims are moving narcotics through the region.

Critics and analysts have warned that such actions may breach international rules that regulate the conduct of armed conflict.

Particular attention has focused on the first US operation on 2 September, during which two separate strikes were carried out, with those who survived the initial attack later killed in a second one.

Multiple legal specialists have argued that this follow-up strike on a boat alleged to be linked to Venezuela was likely unlawful and could be classified under international law as an extrajudicial killing.

Earlier, a former international war crimes prosecutor said the broader military effort amounted to a deliberate and organised assault on civilians outside a wartime context.

The White House rejected those claims, insisting the actions complied with the laws of armed conflict and were necessary to defend the country from cartels “trying to bring poison to our shores… destroying American lives”.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to brief lawmakers from both chambers of Congress on Tuesday, alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Officials familiar with the plans said members of the House and Senate armed services committees are due to be shown footage of the disputed “double-tap” operation later this week, amid growing calls for the video to be released publicly.

At the same time, the administration has stepped up accusations that Venezuela is helping channel illegal drugs into the United States, increasing diplomatic and economic pressure on President Nicolás Maduro.

Two Venezuelan criminal networks, Tren de Aragua and Cartel de los Soles, have been formally labelled foreign terrorist organisations.

In support of this posture, thousands of US troops and the USS Gerald Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, have been deployed within operational range of Venezuela.

On 10 December, American forces also intercepted an oil tanker near the Venezuelan coastline, alleging it was part of an “illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organisations” by moving sanctioned crude from Venezuela and Iran.

Venezuela’s foreign minister, Yván Gil, condemned the action as “international piracy” and accused Trump of seeking control over the country’s extensive oil wealth.

As part of the administration’s broader strategy to curb drug inflows, Trump has formally classified fentanyl — the substance most closely linked to fatal overdoses in the US — as a “weapon of mass destruction”.