U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a new proclamation expanding travel restrictions on nationals from additional countries deemed to pose national security and immigration risks, with Nigeria among those affected.
The measure, announced on Tuesday, December 16, through a White House fact sheet titled “President Donald J. Trump Further Restricts and Limits the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States,” adds 15 new countries to the list of nations facing full or partial entry bans.
According to the proclamation, the additional countries were selected for what the U.S. government described as “demonstrated, persistent, and severe deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information-sharing” that could endanger American citizens.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, now faces partial restrictions under the expanded travel policy.
Trump, who previously designated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” on October 31 over alleged Christian persecution, said the new proclamation aligns with his administration’s commitment to national security.
Explaining the rationale, the fact sheet stated, “Radical Islamic terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State operate freely in certain parts of Nigeria, which creates substantial screening and vetting difficulties.”
The report further cited data from the 2024 Overstay Report, noting that Nigeria recorded a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 5.56 percent and a combined F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 11.90 percent.
The White House described the proclamation as “strengthening national security through common sense restrictions based on data.”
It extends full restrictions to nationals from 12 previously listed high-risk countries, including Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, under Proclamation 10949.
Five additional countries—Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria—have now been placed under full restrictions, as have individuals holding Palestinian Authority-issued travel documents.
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Laos and Sierra Leone, which were previously under partial restrictions, have now been moved to full bans.
Fifteen countries, including Nigeria, Angola, Senegal, The Gambia, Benin, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, are now subject to partial restrictions.
The White House said exemptions exist for U.S. permanent residents, those with existing visas, diplomats, athletes, and individuals whose entry advances national interests. Case-by-case waivers will also remain available.
“It is the President’s duty to take action to ensure that those seeking to enter our country will not harm the American people,” Trump said in the proclamation.
The administration’s statement emphasized that the restrictions aim to ensure “adequate information sharing” from cooperating nations, citing many countries’ failure to provide passport exemplars, criminal records, or law enforcement data essential for transparent visa screening.
Other cited concerns include “high visa overstay rates,” “refusal to repatriate removable nationals,” and the existence of “terrorist, criminal, and extremist activity” within affected countries.
The document clarified that the new restrictions are not blanket bans but rather vary by country, depending on the degree of security cooperation and data reliability.
The White House said the move aligns with a 2018 Supreme Court ruling that upheld similar restrictions, noting that the Court found such policies well within presidential authority and grounded in legitimate national security purposes.
Notably, the new proclamation lifts entry restrictions on nonimmigrant visas for citizens of Turkmenistan, citing improved cooperation with the U.S. government, though it maintains limitations on immigrant entries.
The decision is the latest in President Trump’s broader national security agenda, which further tightens U.S. immigration policies under the justification of safeguarding Americans and encouraging foreign governments to enhance transparency and information-sharing practices.