Trump adds Syria and four more countries to travel ban in aftermath of terror attacks

The travel ban was extended Tuesday to include citizens from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, the Palestinian Authority, South Sudan, and Syria, according to the White House.

Published: December 16, 2025 8:56pm

Updated: December 16, 2025 9:17pm

President Donald Trump on Tuesday added five more countries, including Syria, to his list of countries whose citizens are banned from entering the United States after multiple terror attacks occurred globally in recent weeks.

The most recent terror attack occurred in Australia on Sunday, when a father and a son opened fire on Jewish worshipers during Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach. The shooting killed 15 people and wounded 25 others.

The president signed the initial travel ban of his second administration in June, which barred citizens from Afghanistan, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

The travel ban was extended Tuesday to include citizens from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, the Palestinian Authority, South Sudan, and Syria, according to the White House.

“The United States must exercise extreme vigilance during the visa-issuance and immigration processes to identify, prior to their admission or entry into the United States, foreign nationals who intend to harm Americans or our national interests,” Trump wrote in a proclamation.

“The United States Government must ensure that admitted aliens do not intend to threaten its citizens; undermine or destabilize its culture, government, institutions, or founding principles; or advocate for, aid, or support designated foreign terrorists or other threats to our national security,” he added.

The president added Syria to the list after two American soldiers were killed, and three soldiers were wounded in the country over the weekend. The soldiers were part of the Iowa National Guard and were killed during ongoing anti-ISIS operations in the Middle East.

Trump also banned citizens from eight countries from traveling to the United States in his first term, which was upheld by the Supreme Court. 

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage. 

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