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Kristi Noem Says Trump Administration May Add 30+ Countries to Travel Ban

11:59 PM, 12/05/2025
Kristi Noem Says Trump Administration May Add 30+ Countries to Travel Ban

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem said the Trump administration is considering adding more than 30 countries to its travel-ban list and indicated the number could increase. The June restrictions already targeted roughly a dozen countries, with additional limits on seven others. Noem defended potential expansions on the grounds of unstable governments and vetting concerns; her remarks followed a meeting with President Trump and reports of canceled naturalization events for nationals from Venezuela, Iran and Afghanistan.

Kristi Noem Says More Than 30 Countries Could Be Added to Travel Ban

South Dakota Governor and Trump ally Kristi Noem said Thursday that the Trump administration is considering adding more than 30 countries to its travel-ban list, and that the number could rise as the administration continues its review.

"I won’t be specific on the number, but it’s over 30, and the president is continuing to evaluate countries," Noem said.

In June, President Trump imposed travel restrictions affecting roughly a dozen countries—primarily in the Middle East and Africa—and placed additional limits on travel from seven other nations. Noem did not identify which countries might be added but reiterated the earlier rationale: concerns about unstable governments and inadequate vetting.

"If they don’t have a stable government there, if they don’t have a country that can sustain itself and tell us who those individuals are and help us vet them, why should we allow people from that country to come here to the United States?" she said.

The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Daily Beast.

Noem’s remarks came after President Trump publicly pledged to halt travel from what he called "third-world" countries, following an incident in which an Afghan national allegedly shot two National Guard members in the capital. Administration officials have said the suspect reportedly entered the U.S. in 2021 through a program that they later determined had insufficient vetting.

Noem also said that, after a Monday meeting with the president, she recommended "a full travel ban on every damn country that’s been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies." The language reflects her quoted remarks and underscores the administration's hard-line stance.

Earlier this week, reports indicated that some naturalization ceremonies for nationals of Venezuela, Iran and Afghanistan were canceled and that certain naturalization interviews were postponed, an immigration attorney told ABC News.

"The Trump Administration is making every effort to ensure individuals becoming citizens are the best of the best," a DHS spokesperson told ABC. "Citizenship is a privilege, not a right. We will take no chances when the future of our nation is at stake. The Trump Administration is reviewing all immigration benefits granted by the Biden administration to aliens from Countries of Concern."

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