‘Over 30’ Nations Blocked: Noem Reveals Sweeping Travel Ban Expansion
Travelers from more than 30 countries are now barred from entering the United States following a significant expansion of federal travel restrictions, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed Thursday.
Speaking on Fox News “The Ingraham Angle,” Noem indicated the list of prohibited nations has grown well beyond the initial group targeted by President Donald Trump in June. While she declined to specify the exact count, she emphasized that the administration is prioritizing national security over open borders.
“I won’t be specific on the number, but it’s over 30. And the President is continuing to evaluate countries,” Noem told host Laura Ingraham. “Listen, if they don’t have a stable government there, if they don’t have a country that can sustain itself and tell us who those individuals are and help us vet them, why should we allow people from that country to come here to the United States?”
The move expands upon a June proclamation that originally blocked entry from 12 specific nations—including Afghanistan, Iran, Haiti, and Yemen—citing inadequate information-sharing and terrorism concerns. Reuters has reported the administration is considering adding as many as 36 new countries to that list.
According to administration officials, the restrictions are designed to pressure foreign governments into improving their identity-management and security protocols.
President Trump has framed the tightening borders as a direct response to recent violence involving foreign nationals. Officials pointed to the recent arrest of Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an undocumented migrant accused of attacking a pro-Israel demonstration in Boulder, Colorado.
The policy also follows the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, D.C., by Elias Rodriguez, who was taken into custody shouting “free Palestine.”
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