President Donald Trump signed a proclamation Tuesday that expands and tightens entry restrictions into the United States for nationals of dozens of countries, as part of his strategy to control immigration under the argument of national security and national security. … public.
In this context, Trump maintains the total suspension of entry for nationals of 12 countries already included in a previous proclamation: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, and to this list is added a new total suspension for Burkina Faso, Laos, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Syria.
It also imposes a complete suspension on those who attempt to travel with documents issued or endorsed by the Palestinian Authority, on the grounds that they cannot be adequately verified given the security conditions in the region.
The White House presented this measure as a maintaining restrictions applied during Trump’s first term and which, according to the text, were supported by the Supreme Court. The proclamation relies on presidential authority to suspend the entry of aliens when, in the opinion of the chief executive, such admission would be “prejudicial” to the national interest.
The heart of the document is a diagnosis of verification failures in countries to which Washington attributes chronic deficiencies in proof of identity, sharing of security information and provision of reliable basic information. The proclamation cites, as examples, the lack of consistent civil records, documents susceptible to alteration, counterfeit markets, corruption, inaccessible or unreliable criminal records and difficulties in confirming basic data such as births or registration.
In several passages, the text links these problems to the risks of terrorism, organized crime, human trafficking and immigration abuses, including high levels of violation of visa conditions.
At the same time, the text maintains partial restrictions for Burundi, Cuba, Togo and Venezuela, and modifies the case of Turkmenistan: it lifts the suspension for certain non-immigrant visas, but maintains the restriction for immigrants.
The proclamation includes a relevant policy adjustment: it removes exceptions and specifically notes that immigrant visas based on family ties will no longer be a blanket exception. The exemptions, it specifies, will be applied on a case-by-case basis when there is a “national interest” defined by secretaries of state, Homeland Security or the attorney general, with interagency coordination.
The entry into force is set for January 1, 2026 at 12:01 a.m. Washington time. The measure consolidates a system of restrictions by country based on documentary filters and the exchange of information, and presents it as a lever to impose cooperation and administrative changes in foreign governments.
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