U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated on Thursday that the country is getting ready to expand its travel restrictions to more than 30 nations.
Noem was questioned on if President Donald Trump's administration would extend the travel ban to 32 countries during an interview with Fox News' The Ingraham Angle. "I won't give a precise figure, but it's more than thirty, and the president is still assessing nations," she stated.
President Trump issued an order in June prohibiting nationals of twelve nations and restricting travel from seven more. The directive stated that the action was required to defend against "foreign terrorists" and other dangers, citing national security reasons. Both immigrants and non-immigrants, including tourists, students, and business travelers, are prohibited.
Noem stated that the administration was evaluating countries stability and capacity to exchange citizen data, but she did not specify which states would be added.
"Why should we allow people from that country to come here to the United States 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?" she said.
According to a State Department cable, Reuters had revealed that the administration was thinking of expanding the list to include people of 36 more nations.
The potential expansion comes in the wake of recent security events, such as last week's shooting of two National Guard troops in Washington, D.C. The suspect, an Afghan national, entered the country in 2021 under a resettlement program that, according to authorities, did not adequately examine applicants.
President Trump declared a plan to "permanently pause" immigration from what he referred to as "Third World Countries" in the wake of the tragedy, but he did not clarify which countries he meant.
Additionally, Homeland Security officials acknowledged that Trump has ordered a review of Green Cards granted to nationals of 19 countries and asylum cases authorized during the previous Biden administration.
Trump has made tighter immigration regulations a top priority since taking office again in January. His government has increased deportation operations, restricted access to asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border, and sent federal officers to major cities.
The most recent action indicates an increasing emphasis on both enforcement actions and the reform of the legal immigration system.
