Bold move to keep Americans safe from ‘terrorists’ is basis for US travel ban for some African nations

President Donald Trump’s restrictions on travel from 10 African countries are being praised by analysts for improving U.S. security internationally and domestically.

The president said on X the travel ban was being introduced after a terror attack against a pro-Israel group advocating for Hamas to release Israeli hostages in Boulder, Colorado, last weekend, allegedly by an Egyptian man who had overstayed his visa.

In a White House fact sheet, Trump said, “We will restore the travel ban, some people call it the Trump travel ban, and keep the radical Islamic terrorists out of our country.”

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President Donald Trump gestures to the crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center Feb. 22, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Md.  (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

This point was backed by the State Department’s principal deputy spokesperson, Tommy Pigott. In a briefing Thursday, Pigott said, “This is a national security imperative”.

But observers believe there is an external, international reason. 

“Most, if not all, of the African countries were added to this list either because of extreme instability and thus terrorist havens or because relations between them and the U.S. is either extremely poor or non-existent,” Bill Roggio, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and editor of FDD’s Long War Journal, told Fox News Digital. 

“For instance, the U.S. has been historically hard on Eritrea for its human rights abuses and also alleged support for terrorism. While in Chad, its military regime kicked the U.S. military out of its territory last year, further hurting the U.S. military posture in Africa.”

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Some of the restricted African countries listed below pose significant potential security concerns for the U.S.

In this Feb. 17, 2011, file photo, hundreds of newly trained al-Shabaab fighters perform military exercises in an area south of Mogadishu, Somalia.  (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)

SOMALIA 

The world’s two principal Islamist terror groups, ISIS and al Qaeda, represented here by Al-Shabaab, both operate openly in Somalia. The White House described it this week as “a terrorist safe haven.” 

A briefing note accompanying the travel ban declared, “A persistent terrorist threat emanates from Somalia’s territory. Somalia also remains a destination for individuals attempting to join terrorist groups that threaten the national security of the United States.”  

The U.S. Africa Command mounted five air attacks against operators from both groups in just the 12 days up to June 2. 

LIBYA 

Fighting and subsequent piles of bodies in the streets have been reported in the past month in Tripoli, the Libyan capital. The U.N.’s Support Mission in Libya recently posted on X that the situation could “spiral out of control.”

“The historical terrorist presence within Libya’s territory amplifies the risks posed by the entry into the United States of its nationals,” the White House note states, adding U.S. border officials can’t properly vet Libyans because “there is no competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents in Libya.”

SUDAN 

Fighters of the Sudan Liberation Movement, a Sudanese rebel group active in Sudan’s Darfur State that supports army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, attend a graduation ceremony in the southeastern Gedaref state March 28, 2024. (Getty Images)

The U.S. has already imposed sanctions against the leaders of both parties involved in a two-year civil war that has reportedly killed 150,000 and displaced 12 million. The U.S. claims up to 28% of Sudanese overstay their visas.

ERITREA 

The criminal records of Eritreans are not available for inspection by U.S. officials. With an overstay rate of up to 55%, the White House also reported that “Eritrea has historically refused to accept back its removable nationals.”   

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CHAD 

The West African country is causing concern in Washington as it deepens relations with Russia. Chad President Idriss Deby went to Moscow last year for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Kremlin Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was then warmly welcomed in Chad’s capital, N’Djamena, for a reciprocal visit. Russia’s shadowy Wagner private mercenary group’s importance in the country is being questioned after three of its members were arrested in September and sent back to Moscow. 

In this pool photograph distributed by Russian state-owned agency Sputnik, Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Chad’s Transitional President Mahamat Idriss Deby at the Kremlin in Moscow Jan. 24, 2024.  (Mikhail Metzel/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Banning nationals this week, the U.S. said Chad has had a visa overstay rate of up to 55%. In Chad, President Deby responded by saying, “I have instructed the government to act in accordance with the principles of reciprocity and suspend the issuance of visas to U.S. citizens.”

EQUATORIAL GUINEA

People from this West African country have reportedly overstayed their F, M and J visas by up to 70%.

REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO 

Depending on the visa category, up to 35% of citizens in the U.S. are reported to have overstayed their visas.

Overstaying is the main issue for the other African countries whose nationals are partially restricted and now have only limited entry into the U.S.

SIERRA LEONE 

Has an overstay rate of up to 35%, and, the White House says, “has historically failed to accept back its removable nationals.”

Libyan protesters gather in Tripoli’s Martyrs Square to call for the resignation of the national unity government May 14, 2025. (Getty Images)

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TOGO 

Togo suffers from poor governance, nepotism and widespread corruption, which reportedly goes all the way to the president’s office. Over 50% of the population lives below what’s regarded as the international poverty line. Togo’s nationals have an overstay rate of up to 35% in the U.S.

BURUNDI 

Burundi vies with South Sudan for the dubious title of poorest country in the world. Yet soaring inflation has caused a devastating rise in food prices. A former rebel group has led the country for two decades in an climate of political unrest and alleged repression. Burundi’s citizens have an overstay rate of up to 17% in the U.S.