The U.S. is poised to significantly expand its controversial travel ban, with plans to extend restrictions to more than 30 countries in total, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has confirmed.
Speaking on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle, Noem was pressed on whether President Donald Trump‘s administration would increase the number of nations on the travel ban list to 32.
”I won’t be specific on the number, but it’s over 30, and the president is continuing to evaluate countries,” she said.
The current ban, enacted via a proclamation signed by Trump in June, prohibits citizens from 12 countries from entering the U.S. and imposes restrictions on seven others.
The measure was justified as necessary to safeguard against “foreign terrorists” and other security threats.
The prohibitions apply broadly to both immigrants and non-immigrants, including tourists, students, and business travellers.
Noem did not disclose which additional countries would be affected by the expanded restrictions.
“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?” she said.
It was previously reported that the Trump administration was considering banning citizens of 36 additional countries from entering the U.S., according to an internal State Department cable.
An expansion of the list would mark a further escalation of migration measures the administration has taken since the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., last week.
Investigators say the shooting was carried out by an Afghan national who entered the U.S. in 2021 through a resettlement program under which Trump administration officials have argued there was insufficient vetting.
Days after the shooting, Trump vowed to “permanently pause” migration from all “Third World Countries,” although he did not identify any by name or define “third-world countries.”
Prior to that, officials from the Department of Homeland Security said Trump had ordered a widespread review of asylum cases approved under the administration of his predecessor, Democratic President Joe Biden and Green Cards issued to citizens of 19 countries.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has aggressively prioritized immigration enforcement, sending federal agents to major U.S. cities and turning away asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border.
His administration has frequently highlighted the deportation push, but until now it has put less emphasis on efforts to reshape legal immigration.
