The Trump administration is considering implementing new travel restrictions that could significantly impact citizens from Sierra Leone and 42 other nations, according to an internal memo obtained by Reuters.
The draft proposal divides 43 countries into three categories based on the severity of the proposed travel restrictions:
– Red List: Includes 11 countries—Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen—whose citizens would be entirely barred from entering the United States.
– Orange List: Comprises 10 countries—Belarus, Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, Russia, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Turkmenistan—where visas would be sharply restricted. Citizens from these nations may still qualify for certain types of visas, such as business travel, but would face mandatory in-person interviews.
– Yellow List: Consists of 22 countries that would be given 60 days to rectify security and information-sharing concerns or risk being moved to a stricter category. This group includes Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Vanuatu, and Zimbabwe.
An anonymous U.S. official cautioned that the list is not yet finalized and requires approval from the administration, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
This move recalls President Trump’s previous travel ban targeting several Muslim-majority nations, which was ultimately upheld by the Supreme Court. The new proposal stems from an executive order issued in January, requiring intensified security vetting for foreign nationals seeking entry into the U.S.
The State Department has not yet issued an official comment on the new proposal.
