US adds Syria to expanded travel ban days after bill to repeal Caesar Act
The move has also banned people with Palestinian Authority documentation from entering the US
US President Donald Trump has expanded a US travel ban to include five more countries, including Syria, coming just days after the passing of a bill to repeal the Caesar Act sanctions on the country.
The expansion of the ban also includes the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Washington said on 16 December it is banning citizens of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria from traveling to the US, as well as people traveling with documentation issued by the PA.
Citizens of Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe will face partial restrictions.
The bill will take effect on 1 January 2026, according to the White House.
“Syria is emerging from a protracted period of civil unrest and internal strife. While the country is working to address its security challenges in close coordination with the US, Syria still lacks an adequate central authority for issuing passports or civil documents and does not have appropriate screening and vetting measures. According to the Overstay Report, Syria had a B1/B2 visa overstay rate of 7.09 percent and a F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 9.34 percent,” the White House statement read.
“US-designated terrorist groups operate actively in the West Bank or Gaza Strip and have murdered American citizens. Also, the recent war in these areas likely resulted in compromised vetting and screening abilities. In light of these factors, and considering the weak or nonexistent control exercised over these areas by the PA, individuals attempting to travel on PA-issued or endorsed travel documents cannot currently be properly vetted and approved for entry,” it added.
Trump has recently praised Syria’s self-appointed President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was formerly an Al-Qaeda chief.
Sharaa’s government forces – which are made up of several ISIS-linked factions – have massacred thousands of Alawite and Druze civilians in Syria since the start of this year. His administration was recently officially included in Washington’s global ‘anti-ISIS’ coalition.
The US House voted to repeal the Caesar Act on 10 December. Caesar Act sanctions have devastated Syria for years.
Days later, two US soldiers and a US interpreter were killed in central Syria during a joint patrol with Damascus’s forces. Two Syrian soldiers also died. The perpetrator, who was killed right after, was a member of Syrian security forces who was due to be fired for “holding extremist views.”
Trump said Sharaa was “devastated” and “had nothing to do with it.” Sharaa sent a letter to Trump condemning the attack and expressing his “deepest condolences.”
In Gaza, Israeli attacks continue, and aid remains critically low despite the ceasefire.
Due to Israel’s violations, it remains unclear when the second phase of the ceasefire will be implemented. While the return of the PA to the strip is a part of Trump’s ‘peace plan,’ it has been rejected by Tel Aviv.
The expanded US travel ban comes weeks after Trump declared a “permanent pause” on migration from “all Third World Countries” in response to the shooting of two members of the US National Guard in Washington last month, which was allegedly carried out by a CIA-linked Afghan national.
Since then, Republican allies of Trump have increased Islamophobic rhetoric.
“Stop worrying about offending the pearl clutchers. We’ve got to SEND THEM HOME NOW or we’ll become the United Caliphate of America,” Senator Tommy Tuberville said on Sunday, calling Islam a “cult.”