The United States government is preparing to extend its travel ban to 36 new countries including Nigeria.
According to Washington Post, this move comes as part of President Donald Trump’s ongoing immigration policies in his second term.
A memo from the U.S. State Department, signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, was sent to American diplomats on Saturday, listing the affected countries and giving them 60 days to meet new security and identity requirements.
The listed nations are being warned that if they fail to comply with the new guidelines, they may face full or partial travel restrictions.
These rules demand improvements in areas such as passport verification, identity management, and cooperation with U.S. deportation processes.
Some of the flagged countries were also accused of allowing fraud, poor record-keeping, or having many citizens who overstayed visas in the U.S.
In addition, concerns were raised about countries offering citizenship through cash investments without residency, and claims of anti-American or antisemitic behavior by nationals in the U.S.
The memo noted that willingness to accept deported persons or sign migration agreements with the U.S. could improve a country’s standing.
The countries named in the memo include: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Ethiopia, Egypt, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
This proposed list expands on the earlier ban issued on June 4, which already restricted travelers from countries like Afghanistan, Libya, Haiti, Iran, and Somalia. Others such as Venezuela and Cuba were placed under partial restrictions.
It is still unclear when the new restrictions will begin if the listed countries fail to comply within the deadline.
