An expanded travel ban targeting more than two dozen countries is under review by President Trump following the Thanksgiving-eve attack on two National Guard members in Washington, D.C. Homeland Security officials confirmed the administration is preparing a new list that could include at least 30 nations, with a full announcement coming “soon,” according to a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said she proposed a “full travel ban,” recommending the inclusion of “every damn country that’s been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies.” She added, “WE DON’T WANT THEM. NOT ONE.” The proposal follows the attack in which Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal allegedly killed U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and critically injured Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, near the White House. The State Department has since paused visa issuance for individuals traveling on Afghan passports.
Lakanwal entered the United States in 2021 under the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome program and was granted asylum in April, making him eligible for a green card after 12 months. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has reportedly halted naturalization ceremonies for some nationals of countries already on the restricted list, including individuals from Venezuela, Iran, and Afghanistan.
A DHS spokesperson said, “The Trump Administration is making every effort to ensure individuals becoming citizens are the best of the best. Citizenship is a privilege, not a right.” Officials also stated they are reviewing all immigration benefits granted under the previous administration to nationals from “Countries of Concern.”
President Trump previously signed a proclamation restricting entry from 12 countries and partially restricting seven more. That 19-nation order followed an antisemitic firebombing attack in Colorado, allegedly carried out by an Egyptian national with an expired tourist visa.
At a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, President Trump criticized immigrants from Somalia, a nation already on the travel ban list, saying, “Somalians ripped off [Minnesota] for billions of dollars.” He added, “They contribute nothing,” and, “I don’t want them in our country.” Noem told the president she reviewed Minnesota visa applications and found that “50% of them are fraudulent,” vowing, “We’re going to remove them and get our money back.”
According to the New York Times, the administration is preparing an “intensive immigration enforcement operation” in Minneapolis and St. Paul, home to one of the largest Somali communities in the country. The administration previously terminated temporary protected status for Somali nationals.
Officials said the expanded travel restrictions are part of a broader crackdown designed to prevent national-security threats and block fraudulent claims before they reach U.S. borders.
