The United States has widened its travel restrictions after President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a new Proclamation limiting entry for citizens of countries deemed high-risk to U.S. security and public safety.
Nigeria is among 15 countries newly placed under partial travel restrictions, according to the directive.
Details were released in a White House fact sheet titled “President Donald J. Trump Further Restricts and Limits the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States,” dated December 16, 2025.
The White House said the move targets countries with “demonstrated, persistent, and severe deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information-sharing” that could pose threats to the United States.
It will be recalled that on October 31, President Trump designated Nigeria a “country of particular concern” following allegations of a Christian genocide.
Explaining the policy shift, the White House said the decision is intended to “strengthen national security through common-sense restrictions based on data.”
Under the Proclamation, full entry bans and limitations remain in place for nationals of the original 12 countries listed in Proclamation 10949: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
Five additional countries—Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria—have now been added to the full restriction list, along with individuals using Palestinian Authority-issued travel documents.
Laos and Sierra Leone, previously under partial restrictions, have also been moved to the full ban category.
Meanwhile, Burundi, Cuba, Togo, and Venezuela remain subject to partial entry limitations.
The newly announced partial restrictions apply to 15 countries: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The fact sheet notes that exemptions will still apply for lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders, certain visa categories such as athletes and diplomats, and individuals whose entry serves U.S. national interests.
It also states that some family-based immigrant visa exemptions linked to “demonstrated fraud risks” have been reduced, although waivers may still be issued on a case-by-case basis.
According to the White House, the Proclamation is necessary “to prevent the entry of foreign nationals about whom the United States lacks sufficient information to assess the risks they pose,” while also promoting cooperation from foreign governments and advancing national security and counterterrorism goals.
President Trump was quoted as saying: “It is the President’s duty to take action to ensure that those seeking to enter our country will not harm the American people.”
The document adds that following consultations with cabinet officials and reviews guided by Executive Order 14161, Proclamation 10949, and country-specific data, the President determined that additional restrictions were required to safeguard U.S. security and public safety.
The White House said the measures are tailored to individual countries and aimed at encouraging cooperation, citing challenges such as corruption, unreliable civil and criminal records, weak birth-registration systems, refusal to share security information, abuse of citizenship-by-investment schemes, high visa overstay rates, failure to accept deportees, and the presence of terrorist or criminal activity.
Framing the move as part of a wider agenda, the fact sheet stated that President Trump is fulfilling his promise to reinstate travel restrictions on dangerous countries and secure U.S. borders.
The document also referenced a previous Supreme Court ruling that upheld similar policies, noting that the restrictions fall within presidential authority and are based on legitimate objectives, including improved vetting and increased foreign government cooperation.
The White House further disclosed that Turkmenistan has improved its collaboration with U.S. authorities, leading to the lifting of the ban on nonimmigrant visas for its citizens, although restrictions on immigrant entry remain.
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