The Trump administration is considering adding 36 more countries—including several in Africa and the Caribbean—to the list of countries from which travel to the United States is restricted or banned, according to published reports citing a U.S. State Department internal memo.
The memo signed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, first reported by The Washington Post, lists 36 "countries of concern" that it said were not meeting its standards, which could include security of the countries' passports, cooperation in removing nationals violating immigration laws or involvement in acts of terrorism or "anti-American activity." Those countries have been given 60 days to "meet established benchmarks and requirements," after which their citizens might be subject to partial or full suspension of entry into the U.S.
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump signed a proclamation fully restricting entry into the U.S. for nationals from 12 countries and partially restricting entry from seven countries.
The 36 countries listed in the memo include: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Ethiopia, Egypt, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia and Zimbabwe.