United States President Donald Trump is considering a much wider travel ban than previously believed, according to New York Times reporting. A list of countries whose citizens could be forbidden from travelling to the US has been circulating. Though unnamed sources say the list is still not definitive, it currently includes 43 nations, divided into three threat categories.
Cabinet officials were asked on “day one” of Trump’s second term to identity a list of countries where “vetting and screening information is so deficient” that citizens could pose risks to the US. Their 60-day deadline is nearly up and press speculation about which countries could face immigration restrictions is ramping up.
Red list
Countries on the “red list” would face the strictest level of response, with citizens banned entirely from entering the US. At the time of reporting, the draft list includes Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen.
US Travel Ban:
— Sabria Chowdhury Balland (@sabriaballand) March 15, 2025
An internal #Trump administration proposal lists the following countries whose citizens could face restrictions on entering the U.S. Some countries may change in any final order.#Immigration pic.twitter.com/c2SykTplod
Iraqis, who were banned during Trump’s first term, appear to have avoided the red list for now, as have Gazans, who were mentioned in an October 2023 Trump speech on border policy as being a potential threat to the US.
Orange and yellow lists
The second highest perceived threat level is represented by the orange list, which currently features: Belarus, Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, Russia, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Turkmenistan. Their citizens will have to face in-person interviews to obtain a visa, the outlet reported.
Meanwhile, the “yellow” list contains 22 countries that are likely to be allowed 60 days to eliminate their vetting deficiencies, or else face red or orange level restrictions. This list targets mainly African nations: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Zimbabwe.
Outside of Africa, the Caribbean islands of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, St Kitts and Nevis, and St Lucia are also said to be on the yellow list, alongside Oceania’s Vanuatu.
Protecting citizens?
The presence of Afghanistan and Pakistan on the list have caused concern about the fate of tens of thousands of Afghans and Pakistanis who are awaiting special immigration status after helping the US during its two-decade “war on terror” on their territory. They could remain at risk of Taliban retaliation if a blanket ban goes ahead.
While White House officials have told The Independent no decision on the final shape of the list has yet been made, Trump is unlikely to back down altogether on the forthcoming US bans, which he has said “protect its citizens from aliens who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten our national security, espouse hateful ideology, or otherwise exploit the immigration laws for malevolent purposes.”
