STORY: U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is considering significantly expanding its travel restrictions by potentially banning citizens of 36 additional countries from entering the U.S.
That's according to an internal State Department cable seen by Reuters, which outlined a dozen concerns about the countries in question and sought corrective action.
The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
:: Released June 4, 2025
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Earlier this month, Trump signed a proclamation that banned the entry of citizens from twelve countries as part of an immigration crackdown launched at the start of his second term.
Seven of those initial twelve countries are in Africa. Twenty-four of the 36 further countries now considered for an expanded travel ban are also on that continent.
The cable, signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, raised the lack of a competent or cooperative government by some mentioned countries to produce reliable identity documents.
Another was (quote) "questionable security" of a country's passport and concern around nationals of a country being involved in acts of terrorism in the U.S., or antisemitic and anti-American activity.
The cable said some countries were not cooperative in facilitating the removal of their nationals from the U.S. who were ordered to be removed and that nationals were overstaying their U.S. visas.
The cable noted that not all of these concerns pertained to every country listed.
