Foreign nationals from over 20 nations might soon be prohibited from entering the United States due to an expanded travel ban proposed by President Trump.
The Trump administration is looking to broaden the list to include at least 30 countries, with the possibility of adding even more later, sources have informed the Post.
A spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security mentioned that the updated list would be made public shortly.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem hinted at a complete travel ban during a statement on Monday night. He mentioned suggestions he made to President Trump about increasing the number of countries affected by restrictions.
Noem pointed to including “all the countries that flood our country with murderers, leeches, and rights junkies” in the banned list.
He went on to say, “Our ancestors built this country on blood, sweat, and an unwavering love of freedom, not so that foreign invaders could slaughter our heroes, drain our hard-earned tax dollars, or deprive Americans of the benefits they deserve. We don’t want them. Nobody wants them.”
This recommendation stems from a broader immigration crackdown by the administration following last week’s attack on two West Virginia National Guard members in Washington, D.C., just before Thanksgiving.
Previously, the administration had decided to freeze all asylum applications and reassess more than 720,000 green card holders from 19 “countries of concern” after a suspect, Rahmanullah Rakanwar, was thought to be responsible for killing 20-year-old Sara Beckstrom and injuring 24-year-old Andrew Wolf near the White House.
The State Department also halted visa issuance for people with Afghan passports in light of this tragic incident.
Rakanwar, who had been part of a CIA-supported Afghan military group fighting the Taliban, came to the U.S. legally in 2021 through the Biden administration’s Operation Welcoming Allies program, which was set up to assist refugees following the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
He applied for asylum in April and became eligible for a green card a year later.
In addition to these changes, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services reportedly canceled naturalization ceremonies for individuals from certain countries that are currently under the travel ban. There were reports that some foreign nationals from Venezuela, Iran, and Afghanistan had their citizenship ceremonies canceled after the National Guard shooting, according to a news agency.
A DHS spokesperson asserted, “The Trump Administration is making every effort to ensure that the individuals who receive citizenship are of the best quality. Citizenship is a privilege, not a right. We will not take any risks when the future of our country is at stake.”
They also stated, “The Trump Administration is reviewing all immigration benefits granted by the Biden Administration to foreign nationals from countries of concern.”
Earlier this year, President Trump had put forward a proclamation that entirely restricted the entry of nationals from 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Burma, and Iran, while partially limiting entry from seven additional nations such as Burundi and Venezuela.
This travel ban followed an anti-Semitic firebombing in Colorado, allegedly carried out by an individual from Egypt who was in the country on an expired tourist visa.
During a Cabinet meeting, Trump expressed particular concerns about immigrants from Somalia, a country already listed in the travel ban.
He remarked, “Somali people were deceived. [Minnesota] Billions of dollars,” alluding to various fraud scandals in that state.
He added, “They contribute nothing,” reinforcing his stance with, “We don’t want them in our country.”
Noem reported that, under Trump’s directive, an investigation into visa fraud in Minnesota uncovered that “50% of it is fraud.”
The Secretary of Homeland Security claimed that individuals holding fraudulent visas had accessed government programs and drained “hundreds of billions of dollars” in taxpayer resources, promising, “We’re going to remove them and get their money back.”
As part of a focused crackdown, the Trump administration is said to be launching a substantial immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis and St. Paul, where many immigrants from African nations reside, as reported by the New York Times.
Moreover, the administration has already announced it would end Temporary Protected Status for Somali immigrants, which provided them with deportation protections and work authorizations.
