THE Trump administration intends to expand its travel ban to include more than 30 countries, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has confirmed, marking the most sweeping restriction to date following the recent shooting of two National Guard members in Washington.
In an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham on Thursday evening, Noem said the administration was widening the list of countries already subject to travel prohibitions under measures announced in June.
Those rules barred citizens from 12 nations from entering the United States and imposed reduced access on individuals from seven others.
AP reported today that Noem offered no specifics on which countries would be added, saying only that President Donald Trump “was continuing to evaluate countries” for inclusion.
Earlier in the week, she had hinted on social media that further extensions were imminent.
Asked whether the ban would expand to 32 countries, Noem replied, “I won’t be specific on the number, but it’s over 30. And the president is continuing to evaluate countries. If they don’t have a stable government there, if they don’t have a country that can sustain itself and tell us who those individuals are and help us vet them, why should we allow people from that country to come here to the United States?”
The Department of Homeland Security has not indicated when the updated travel ban might take effect or which states are under consideration.
The tightening of the travel restrictions follows the Thanksgiving week shooting of two National Guard members. The alleged gunman, Rahmanullah Lakanwal — an Afghan citizen who arrived in the U.S. after the American withdrawal from Afghanistan — has been charged with first-degree murder after one victim, Specialist Sarah Beckstrom of the West Virginia National Guard, succumbed to her injuries. Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe remains in critical condition.
Lakanwal has pleaded not guilty.
The administration has used the attack to justify a series of accelerated immigration measures, arguing that more stringent vetting is essential to protect national security.
Critics, however, contend that the government is subjecting already heavily screened migrants to further trauma and accuse the White House of implementing policies amounting to collective punishment.
Within little more than a week, the administration has suspended asylum decisions, paused processing of immigration benefits for individuals from the 19 countries included in the initial travel ban, and halted visa issuance for Afghans who assisted the United States during the war.
On Thursday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced it would shorten the validity period of work permits issued to categories including refugees and asylum applicants, requiring them to reapply more frequently and undergo repeated vetting. - December 6, 2025
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