The United States government has rolled out a fresh expansion of its sweeping pause on legal immigration applications. President Trump’s latest “travel‑ban” proclamation added 20 more countries, including Nigeria, bringing the total list to 39 nations now under full or partial entry restrictions. An anonymous U.S. official told CBS News that USCIS has broadened its suspension of immigration cases to match the newly added nationalities
Under the updated order, five countries now face a complete ban on immigrants and travelers: *Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, Syria, Laos and Sierra Leone*. Another 15 nations are subject to partial restrictions: *Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe*. The earlier list (Afghanistan, Burundi, Chad, Cuba, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Venezuela and Yemen) remains in effect, with Laos and Sierra Leone shifting from partial to full bans
USCIS Director Joseph Edlow posted a statement on social media confirming a “comprehensive review of anyone from anywhere who poses a threat to the U.S., including those identified in the President’s latest proclamation
Altogether, the latest decree now impacts nationals of more than 60 % of African countries and roughly 20 % of all nations worldwide. The administration argues the measures safeguard national security and address vetting concerns, while critics say the policy is discriminatory because it overwhelmingly targets African and Asian nations