The Trump administration has once again expanded its travel restrictions, adding Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire, along with 13 other countries, to a list facing partial entry limitations. The proclamation, signed on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, cites national security concerns, visa overstay rates, and a lack of sufficient information sharing as justification for the new measures.
These new partial restrictions mean that while not completely barred from entry, nationals from Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire will face increased scrutiny and limitations on specific visa types. Consular officers are instructed to reduce the validity of nonimmigrant visas for citizens of Côte d'Ivoire "to the extent permitted by law". Specifically, the entry into the United States of nationals of Benin as immigrants, and as nonimmigrants on B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas, is suspended. According to the Overstay Report, Cote d'Ivoire had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 8.47 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 19.09 percent. Benin had a B-1/B-2 overstay rate of 12.34 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 36.77 percent.
The Trump administration argues that these restrictions are necessary to prevent the entry of foreign nationals about whom the U.S. government lacks sufficient information to assess potential risks. They also aim to encourage foreign governments to cooperate with the U.S. in reducing visa overstay rates and enforcing immigration laws.
The move follows the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington D.C. last month by an Afghan national, an incident the Trump administration has used to justify tightening immigration controls.
In addition to Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire, the countries facing partial restrictions include Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Simultaneously, the proclamation imposes full restrictions on Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria, joining the existing list of nations facing a complete travel ban. These full restrictions also extend to individuals using travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority.
Critics of the travel ban expansion argue that it unfairly targets African and Muslim-majority countries, disrupting travel plans, refugee resettlement, and family reunification. Some view the policy as discriminatory and driven by political motivations rather than genuine security concerns. Laurie Ball Cooper, Vice President of U.S. Legal Programs at the International Refugee Assistance Project, stated, "This expanded ban is not about national security but instead is another shameful attempt to demonize people simply for where they are from". Others express concern about the potential strain on diplomatic relations and the impact on educational, cultural, and economic exchanges.
