The United States government, under President Donald Trump, is reportedly planning to impose a travel ban targeting Nigeria and 35 other nations, citing national security and documentation issues.
According to a report by The Washington Post, an internal memo signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio outlines the proposal. The document states that the affected countries must meet new documentation and identity verification standards set by the U.S. State Department within 60 days or face varying levels of travel restrictions.
The proposed ban appears to focus heavily on African nations, with the Trump administration expressing concerns over weak or non-cooperative government systems, unreliable civil documentation, and widespread fraud in some cases.
“Some countries had no competent or cooperative central government authority to produce reliable identity documents or other civil documents,” the memo states, adding that others suffer from systemic corruption that undermines document integrity.
In addition to meeting documentation requirements, each of the listed countries is expected to submit an initial compliance plan to the State Department by Wednesday.
This isn’t the first time the Trump administration has floated the idea of such a measure. A similar proposal in March targeted 43 countries, although Nigeria was not included in that earlier list. That version divided countries into three categories:
- Red – Total travel ban
- Orange – Visa restrictions
- Yellow – 60-day warning
The latest list expands significantly and includes countries from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and the Pacific region.
Countries listed for possible travel restrictions:
Africa:
Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Egypt, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Caribbean:
Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia.
Asia:
Bhutan, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, Syria.
Pacific:
Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu.
While no official implementation date has been announced, the memo suggests swift action if the countries fail to comply within the 60-day window.