WASHINGTON (WashingtonPost) — Zimbabwe is among 36 countries that could face new U.S. travel restrictions as the Trump administration considers expanding its immigration ban, according to a State Department memo reviewed by The Washington Post.
The internal document, signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and circulated to U.S. diplomats, gives the targeted nations 60 days to comply with new screening and identity verification requirements or face full or partial entry bans. The list includes 25 African nations, such as Egypt, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe, along with countries from the Caribbean, Central Asia, and the Pacific.
The memo cites concerns ranging from widespread government fraud to a lack of reliable civil documents and high rates of visa overstays. It also points to policies such as citizenship-for-investment schemes and alleged antisemitic or anti-American activity by some nationals.
No timeline was given for when the proposed restrictions might take effect if conditions are not met.
The proposed expansion would significantly broaden the June 4 presidential proclamation that imposed full bans on citizens of 13 countries, including Iran, Libya, and Somalia, and partial restrictions on travelers from seven others.
Critics, including Democrats and civil rights groups, have labeled the administration’s expanding travel restrictions as discriminatory, pointing to a pattern of targeting Muslim-majority and African countries. The initial travel ban from Trump’s first term, which included several Muslim-majority nations, sparked widespread protests and legal challenges before being upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018.
The Biden administration rescinded the ban in 2021, but Trump vowed during his re-election campaign to restore and broaden it. On Inauguration Day 2025, the White House directed federal agencies to review global vetting procedures and recommend new suspensions where security screening was deemed inadequate.
A State Department spokesperson declined to comment on the memo, and the White House did not respond to media inquiries. The countries facing scrutiny in the memo: Angola; Antigua and Barbuda; Benin; Bhutan; Burkina Faso; Cabo Verde; Cambodia; Cameroon; Democratic Republic of Congo; Djibouti; Dominica; Ethiopia; Egypt; Gabon; Gambia; Ghana; Ivory Coast; Kyrgyzstan; Liberia; Malawi; Mauritania; Niger; Nigeria; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Sao Tome and Principe; Senegal; South Sudan; Syria; Tanzania; Tonga; Tuvalu; Uganda; Vanuatu; Zambia; and Zimbabwe.
