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The travel restrictions imposed by President Donald Trump on 10 African countries are receiving acclaim from experts for enhancing both U.S. international and domestic security.
President Trump announced on X that the travel ban was enacted following a terrorist attack targeting a pro-Israel group that was urging Hamas to free Israeli hostages in Boulder, Colorado, allegedly perpetrated by an Egyptian individual who had outstayed his visa.
According to a White House fact sheet, President Trump stated, “We will reinstate the travel ban, which some refer to as the Trump travel ban, to prevent radical Islamic terrorists from entering our nation.”
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)
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 a climate of political unrest and alleged repression. Burundi’s citizens have an overstay rate of up to 17% in the U.S.
