US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that the country is planning to expand the number of countries covered by its travel ban from 19 to 30.

As US President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration continues, the country’s Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that the United States is planning to expand the number of countries covered by its travel ban from 19 to 30. In an interview with Fox News on Thursday, Noem was asked about the Trump administration’s outlook towards the ban on nationals of several nations.

“I won’t be specific on the number, but it’s over 30, and the president is continuing to evaluate countries,” she said. In June this year, Trump signed a proclamation banning the citizens of 12 countries from entering the United States and restricting those from seven others, saying it was needed to protect against “foreign terrorists” and other security threats.

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It is pertinent to note that this ban applies to both immigrants and non-immigrants, such as tourists, students and business travellers. While Noem admitted that the list would be expanded, she did not specify which countries would be added to the list.

“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, why should we allow people from that country to come here to the United States?” Noem said.

Could the figure go beyond 30

According to Reuters, the Trump administration was considering banning citizens of 36 additional countries from entering the United States, according to an internal State Department cable. It is important to note that an expansion of the list would mark a further escalation of migration measures the administration has taken since the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., last week.

Investigators say that the shooting was carried out by an Afghan national who entered the US in 2021 through a resettlement program under which Trump administration officials have argued there was insufficient vetting.

Days after the shooting, Trump pledged to “permanently pause” migration from all “Third World Countries,” although he did not identify any by name or define “third-world countries.”

In the past, officials from the Department of Homeland Security said Trump had ordered a widespread review of asylum cases approved under the administration of his predecessor, Democratic President Joe Biden and Green Cards issued to citizens of 19 countries. An increase in this number would also change Washington’s dynamics with different nations.

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