US Travel Ban Hammering Congo, Chad, Iran, Myanmar, Haiti, and Other Countries from Caribbean, Latin America, Asia, Middle East, Africa, and Now Government Set to Expand the List Due to National Security Concerns, What’s Next for Them?

Published on December 14, 2025

The US travel bans are hammering countries like Congo, Chad, Iran, Myanmar, and Haiti, citing national security concerns. As the list expands, these nations face growing pressure to improve identity verification and cooperation. The 2025 Proclamation imposed severe restrictions, with full entry bans on countries like Afghanistan, Iran, and Yemen, and partial bans affecting others like Cuba and Venezuela. The U.S. government points to inadequate security data sharing, insufficient passport security, and high visa overstay rates as key reasons for these actions. As national security risks grow, these countries are under intense scrutiny to enhance their documentation systems and ensure better cooperation in combating global threats. With the list of affected nations set to expand, the global community watches closely to see how these nations will address these issues, and whether further travel restrictions will follow. What’s next for them? The pressure to reform and comply with international security standards continues to mount.

US 2025 Proclamation on Foreign Nationals: Impact and Rationale

The 2025 Proclamation, issued by the U.S. government, imposes severe travel restrictions on nationals from 19 countries due to concerns related to national security and public safety. The restrictions are divided into two categories: a full entry ban on nationals from 12 countries and a partial ban on nationals from 7 countries. The full entry ban includes countries like Afghanistan, Iran, and Yemen, while the partial ban affects countries such as Cuba, Venezuela, and Laos. These measures are largely justified by the U.S. government’s claims of insufficient identity verification systems, lack of cooperation on sharing vital security information, and high visa overstay rates, all of which elevate national security risks.

Middle East: Full Entry Ban on Afghanistan, Iran, and Yemen

The Middle East faces significant impacts from the U.S. travel ban, especially on countries like Afghanistan, Iran, and Yemen, where the entry of nationals is fully restricted. This ban is mainly driven by security concerns, including inadequate identity verification and the presence of terrorist organizations in these regions. The U.S. government cites a lack of cooperation in sharing vital security data, such as criminal histories and terrorist watchlist information, as a key reason for the restriction. The aim is to mitigate national security risks by pressuring these governments to improve their documentation and security protocols, ensuring that foreign nationals do not pose a threat.

Asia: Full Entry Ban on Myanmar (Burma)

In Asia, Myanmar (Burma) faces a full entry ban due to its ongoing political instability and failure to meet U.S. security standards. The military regime in Myanmar has hindered efforts to improve identity management systems, and there are concerns about human rights abuses and the country’s instability. As a result, the U.S. government has restricted both immigrant and non-immigrant visas for nationals of Myanmar. This move is intended to pressurize the Myanmar government to enhance identity management, improve cooperation with international security measures, and work towards better documentation systems to ensure that individuals entering the U.S. are properly vetted.

Africa: Full Entry Ban on Chad, Republic of the Congo, and Others

Africa sees a broad full entry ban affecting countries like Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Eritrea, primarily due to inadequate identity verification systems and failures in international cooperation. The U.S. government has cited the inability of these countries to provide secure, verifiable identification, such as electronic passports or reliable civil records. These deficiencies create a security risk, particularly in preventing the entry of nationals whose identities cannot be adequately confirmed. The U.S. aims to increase pressure on these governments to improve their security infrastructure, with the ultimate goal of enhancing the safety of U.S. borders.

Caribbean: Full Entry Ban on Haiti

In the Caribbean, Haiti faces a full entry ban as part of the June 2025 U.S. proclamation. The country has struggled with political and economic instability, compounded by weak identity management systems and unreliable civil records. The U.S. government has cited concerns over the lack of secure passports and the absence of comprehensive documentation systems, making it difficult to verify the identity of Haitian nationals. As a result, Haitians are unable to travel to the U.S. for business, tourism, education, or family reunification. The U.S. hopes the ban will encourage Haiti to address these security vulnerabilities and improve its cooperation with international authorities.

Rationale Behind the Ban: National Security and Public Safety

The primary justification for these bans lies in the need to enhance national security. The U.S. government cites various deficiencies in the identity management systems of the affected countries. Many of these countries do not issue electronic passports or maintain reliable civil documentation, which hampers effective vetting of individuals. Additionally, the lack of cooperation in sharing crucial data related to criminal records or terrorist watchlists has raised concerns. The U.S. also highlights issues like high visa overstay rates, which exacerbate immigration and law enforcement challenges, and the non-cooperation of several countries in accepting deported nationals. These combined factors create a significant national security concern, leading to the aggressive use of executive authority to impose these travel restrictions.

Visa Overstay Rates: A Key Factor in the Restrictions

One of the most critical elements of the June 2025 Proclamation is its emphasis on high visa overstay rates as a justification for the partial entry ban. Many of the countries subject to this partial ban, such as Burma (Myanmar) and Burundi, have notably high overstay rates for non-immigrant visa holders. These overstays indicate that a significant number of individuals from these countries enter the U.S. legally but remain beyond their visa expiration, potentially overstretching the immigration system and raising security concerns. The table below summarizes the visa overstay rates for a few of these countries as cited in the Proclamation.

The US travel bans are hammering countries like Congo, Chad, Iran, Myanmar, and Haiti, citing national security concerns. As the list expands, these nations face growing pressure to improve identity verification and cooperation. What’s next for them?

Conclusion

The U.S. travel bans are significantly impacting countries like Congo, Chad, Iran, Myanmar, Haiti, and others across the Caribbean, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. These measures, rooted in national security concerns, highlight the urgent need for better identity verification, improved cooperation on security data, and tighter controls on visa overstays. As the U.S. government is set to expand the list, affected nations face increasing pressure to address these vulnerabilities. The future of these countries hinges on their ability to enhance documentation systems and work with international authorities to reduce security risks, ultimately determining their ability to regain access to the U.S. and restore diplomatic relations.