The number of countries subject to the U.S. entry ban, currently at 19, is expected to increase to between 30 and 32. On December 2 (local time), CNN reported, citing sources, that Kristi Noem, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), had recommended to President Donald Trump that the list of countries subject to the entry ban be expanded in this way.
The Trump administration is currently conducting evaluations to designate additional countries for the entry ban. Depending on the results of these evaluations, the administration plans to expand the list of affected countries. However, the sources stated that it remains unclear which countries will be added or when the announcement will be made.
On the same day, Bloomberg News also reported, citing a Department of Homeland Security official, that the Trump administration plans to expand the list of entry-ban countries to around 30 and will soon add more countries to the list.
Since a shooting targeting the National Guard occurred in Washington, D.C. on November 26, the day before Thanksgiving, the Trump administration has been intensifying its anti-immigration policy drive. On November 27, President Trump stated on the social media platform Truth Social, "We will permanently halt all migration from third world countries." While he did not specify which countries he considered to be "third world" or what exactly a permanent halt to migration would entail, the Department of Homeland Security explained that there are currently 19 countries designated as third world countries subject to the entry ban.
Previously, in June, President Trump issued a proclamation announcing a complete or partial ban on entry into the United States for nationals of 19 countries. Twelve countries-including Iran, Yemen, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Libya, Somalia, and Sudan-were designated for a full entry ban, while seven countries-Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela-were subject to partial restrictions.
Secretary Noem, in a post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) the previous day, shared that she had met with President Trump and stated, "I am recommending a comprehensive entry ban on every single terrible country that has flooded our nation with murderers, parasites, and welfare addicts."
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