Including Yemen… Washington extends travel ban to citizens of African and Asian countries

Yemen

Yamanat

The White House announced on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, that US President Donald Trump had expanded the scope of the travel ban to a number of countries in Africa and Asia, with the decision taking effect at the beginning of next January.

The new decision calls for the imposition of complete restrictions on citizens of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and South Sudan, as well as those of Sierra Leone, which moved from partial restrictions to a complete ban.

The ban also affected other African countries that were previously included, such as Chad, Eritrea, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and the Republic of Congo.

At the level of Asian countries, the US administration imposed a total ban on Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Iran and Laos, and also included holders of travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority among the categories prohibited from entering the United States.

In addition, partial restrictions have been added to other countries, including Nigeria, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, as well as some countries outside the continent, such as Cuba and Venezuela.

Washington justified its decision by the high rate of visa overstays, weak civil registration records, the spread of corruption, terrorist activities and the lack of cooperation of some governments in welcoming their expelled citizens.

She explained that the ban would not include permanent residents of the United States, nor many current visa holders, diplomats or athletes participating in international tournaments, while allowing individual exceptions in cases considered “of national interest.”

The White House confirmed that the restrictions would remain in place until affected countries demonstrate “credible improvements” in identity management, information exchange and cooperation with US immigration authorities.

The expansion comes days after the arrest of an Afghan man suspected of involvement in the shooting of two National Guard soldiers over the Thanksgiving holiday, an incident the U.S. administration relied on to confirm its security concerns. This is the third extension of Trump’s travel ban, after he issued a similar ruling in 2017 that sparked widespread protests before it was approved by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Yemen