President Donald Trump isn’t mincing words — or taking chances — when it comes to America’s borders.
On Tuesday, the Trump administration expanded its travel ban, adding several new countries to the list and blocking Palestinians from entering the United States, citing serious national security concerns.
The move came via a Presidential Proclamation that made the administration’s position crystal clear: the United States must be protected “from national security and public safety threats.”
And according to the White House, those threats are real.
The proclamation notes that multiple U.S.-designated terrorist organizations are actively operating in the West Bank and Gaza Strip — groups that have already murdered American citizens. Worse still, the administration warned that ongoing conflict in the region has crippled reliable vetting and screening systems.
“In light of these factors,” the proclamation states, and given the “weak or nonexistent control” exercised by the Palestinian Authority, individuals traveling on PA-issued or PA-endorsed documents “cannot currently be properly vetted and approved for entry into the United States.”
In other words: no vetting, no visa.
Palestinians aren’t the only ones affected. Trump’s updated order also bans travelers from five additional countries: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria.
The administration said the decision was driven by a lack of “sufficient information to assess the risks” posed by foreign nationals from those nations. The proclamation cited terrorist activity, criminal networks, extremist movements, and overall instability — all of which make proper screening nearly impossible.
These countries now join 12 others already barred in June, including Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia, Yemen, Libya, Haiti, and Sudan, among others — nations long plagued by violence, corruption, or terror-linked activity.
Trump’s reasoning is blunt and unapologetic.
“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 proclamation declared.
In addition to outright bans, the administration imposed partial travel restrictions on 15 more countries, including Nigeria, Angola, Senegal, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, signaling that scrutiny — not blind entry — is now the standard.
The timing is no coincidence.
Just days earlier, Trump ignited controversy with comments about Somali migrants, including Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), whom he called “garbage” and a “terrible person.”
“They contribute nothing. I don’t want them in our country, I’ll be honest with you,” Trump said. “Some will say that is not ‘politically correct.’ I don’t care. Their country is no good for a reason.”
Those remarks followed a New York Times report detailing a massive fraud scheme allegedly orchestrated by Somali residents in Minnesota — a scam federal prosecutors say stole more than $1 billion in taxpayer money.
