Washington: The White House said US President Donald Trump signed a new proclamation aimed at “expanding and strengthening entry restrictions” on countries found to have “persistent and severe deficiencies” in screening, vetting and information-sharing systems.

Under the latest order, a full travel ban will apply to nationals from the following countries:
Burkina Faso
Mali
Niger
South Sudan
Syria
Laos
Sierra Leone
The proclamation also blocks entry for individuals travelling on Palestinian Authority–issued documents.
Laos and Sierra Leone had previously been subject to partial restrictions, but the new order upgrades both countries to a complete ban.

In addition to the full ban, President Trump has imposed partial entry restrictions and visa limitations on 15 more countries. The White House has not yet released the full list of these countries, according to a Reuters report.

The proclamation also continues full restrictions on nationals from the original 12 countries identified as high risk under Proclamation 10949:
Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

The order includes exceptions for lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders, certain visa categories such as athletes and diplomats, and individuals whose entry is deemed to serve US national interests.

The expansion comes despite Trump’s earlier pledge to support Syria’s stabilisation following landmark talks in November with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who came to power after the ouster of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad and has since sought international legitimacy.

However, the President struck a tougher tone over the weekend, vowing “very serious retaliation” after the US military reported that two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed in Syria in an attack blamed on a suspected Islamic State militant.

The White House said Syria’s inclusion in the ban was justified by high visa overstay rates, weak central authority, and inadequate passport-issuing and security vetting systems.

The expanded ban marks one of the most sweeping immigration restrictions of Trump’s current term and is expected to trigger renewed legal and political challenges in the coming weeks.

During his first term, President Trump imposed similar travel restrictions targeting countries with inadequate vetting processes or elevated security risks. Those measures were later upheld by the US Supreme Court, which ruled that the policy fell “squarely within the scope of Presidential authority” and was based on legitimate national security concerns.