Image: from Upendrra Rai X@UpendrraRai
By Lucas Reid with Agencies
The Trump administration is preparing to dramatically widen its travel ban, potentially blocking citizens from more than 30 nations from entering the United States, according to comments made Thursday by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The move signals one of the most sweeping immigration restrictions of Donald Trump’s renewed presidency, deepening a strategy that places national security at the center of US border and travel policy.
HUGE: DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announces President Trump’s travel ban is expanding to over 30 countries.
And he’s evaluating more.
“If they don’t have a stable government or a country that can sustain itself, why should we allow them into the US?”
pic.twitter.com/IM97uSRZuN— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) December 5, 2025
Speaking during an appearance on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle, Noem did not reveal which countries may be added to the expanded list, but she confirmed the administration is preparing a broader set of restrictions. Trump’s June proclamation already prohibits entry for citizens of 12 nations and heavily restricts travel from seven others. Officials framed the expansion as necessary to prevent “foreign terrorists” or individuals from unstable regions from entering the country.
Noem defended the pending expansion by questioning whether some governments can reliably verify the identities of their citizens. She argued that nations unable to maintain internal stability or assist US vetting efforts should not expect unrestricted travel privileges.
The Homeland Security announcement follows earlier reporting that the administration was considering adding 36 countries to the ban. While those discussions were initially contained to an internal State Department cable, the secretary’s remarks offer the clearest public confirmation yet of a major policy shift underway.
🚨Update: Draft 3-tier Trump travel BAN to hit 43 countries! — NYT
NO ENTRY for 11 ‘red’ countries!
Visas for Russians, Belarusians and Pakistanis ‘sharply restricted!’
Many African nations on ‘yellow’ list! pic.twitter.com/pfap4YFbxV
— US Homeland Security News (@defense_civil25) March 15, 2025
The political and security backdrop surrounding the move is significant. The administration has intensified its immigration enforcement efforts since the fatal shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C. last week. Investigators say the shooter was an Afghan national who entered the United States in 2021 through a resettlement program that Trump officials now argue lacked adequate screening procedures.
The incident prompted Trump to promise a “permanent pause” on migration from what he called “Third World Countries,” though he did not specify which nations he meant. His administration has already launched a review of asylum approvals granted under former President Biden and initiated scrutiny of green cards issued to citizens of 19 countries.
Since returning to the Oval Office in January, Trump has prioritized immigration enforcement above all other domestic issues. Federal agents have been dispatched to major US cities, and asylum seekers at the US-Mexico border have been turned away at sharply higher rates. While the administration has aggressively promoted deportation operations, the looming expansion of the travel ban marks a major shift toward reshaping legal immigration itself.
If enacted, the broadened ban would represent one of the largest travel restrictions in modern US history, with implications for students, families, tourists, business travelers and long-standing diplomatic ties. The administration has not indicated when the new list will be released, but officials say internal reviews are already underway.
As debate intensifies, supporters frame the expansion as an overdue security measure; critics warn it risks isolating the United States and punishing millions for the instability of their governments. For now, the Trump administration shows no sign of slowing its push to recast the country’s immigration system, one sweeping order at a time.