The Trump administration is preparing to slap sweeping travel restrictions on citizens from up to 36 additional countries—including close U.S. partners like Egypt and Djibouti—according to a leaked internal memo obtained by The Washington Post.
The classified document, signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and circulated to American diplomats on Saturday, directs foreign governments to meet a new set of stringent criteria within 60 days or risk facing punitive U.S. travel measures.
At the heart of the memo are concerns that several of the targeted nations have failed to meet U.S. security and documentation standards. Cited reasons include the absence of a credible central authority capable of issuing reliable identity documents, and high rates of visa violations by their nationals.
However, the State Department offers a narrow path to exemption: if a country agrees to accept third-country nationals being deported from the United States, Washington may reconsider or reduce proposed sanctions.
The sweeping list features 25 African nations, including economic and security allies such as Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Egypt. Others include Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Gabon, Gambia, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Also under review are several small Caribbean nations—Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia—alongside four Asian countries: Bhutan, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, and Syria. Three Pacific Island states—Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu—round out the list.
Governments of the affected countries have until 8 a.m. Wednesday to submit initial action plans to the U.S. State Department outlining how they intend to meet the new requirements. Whether sanctions will be imposed immediately after the deadline remains unclear.
The memo comes on the heels of Trump’s revival of his controversial first-term travel ban. Just one week prior, the former president signed off on a full travel ban affecting 12 countries, along with targeted restrictions on seven others.
Back in January, Trump issued an executive order mandating the State Department to identify nations with “vetting and screening information so deficient as to warrant a partial or full suspension” of travel to the U.S.
These moves form part of Trump’s escalating second-term immigration crackdown, which includes a mass deportation campaign at home and increasingly aggressive international restrictions.
While such hardline measures were anticipated, the speed and scope of their implementation have stunned lawmakers and alarmed civil liberties groups.
