Twenty more countries affected by Donald Trump's NEW travel ban with Palestinians blocked from United States

The White House characterised the decision as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen America's borders.

Officials justified the restrictions by pointing to what they described as pervasive corruption, fraudulent civil documentation and unreliable criminal records in affected nations, which they claim hamper American vetting procedures.

The expansion effectively doubles the number of countries subject to sweeping US travel policy changes.

The policy shift came in response to a fatal attack during the Thanksgiving holiday period, when Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal allegedly shot two National Guard soldiers close to the White House.

One soldier, Sarah Beckstrom, died in the incident, whilst another serviceman, Andrew Wolfe, remains critically injured.

Lakanwal, who entered America in 2021 during the military withdrawal from Kabul and previously worked alongside Special Forces personnel, has entered not guilty pleas to murder and assault charges.

Following the shooting, Mr Trump convened with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to discuss measures against what she termed "foreign invaders" entering the US.

In June, Mr Trump prohibited entry for citizens of 12 nations: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

Seven additional countries faced heightened screening requirements at that time, including Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Togo and Venezuela.

The latest proclamation adds partial restrictions to 15 further nations: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

These measures typically involve stricter visa screening, limitations on certain visa categories, or enhanced documentation requirements rather than outright bans.

Lawful residents and existing visa holders remain exempt from the new restrictions.

But criticising the move, immigration lawyer Todd Pomerleau said: "This is basically targeting people because of their nationality, birthplace, associations, beliefs, or religion."

Laurie Ball Cooper, Vice-President of US Legal Programs at the International Refugee Assistance Project, added the ban as "not about national security but another shameful attempt to demonise people simply for where they are from".

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