In the near future, President Trump is expected to issue a new travel ban, targeting citizens of certain countries. While the details haven’t officially been announced, The New York Times has info on the plan that’s reportedly under consideration…
In this post:
What we know about Trump’s planned travel ban
When he took office on January 20, 2025, Trump issued an executive order, asking the State Department to identify countries “for which vetting and screening information is so deficient as to warrant a partial or full suspension on the admission of nationals from those countries.”
Based on what we know so far, the Trump administration is considering targeting as many as 43 countries for this new ban, with restrictions that are broader than the travel ban he imposed during his first term. The draft list of travel ban countries falls into three categories.
There would be a “red list,” whereby travel to the United States would be restricted for citizens of foreign countries. These countries are expected to include Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen.
Then there would be the “orange list,” whereby visas from these countries would be sharply restricted. These countries are expected to include Belarus, Eritrea, Haiti, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, Russia, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Turkmenistan.
Lastly, there would be the “yellow list,” where countries would have 60 days to address concerns, or else they would face new travel restrictions. These countries are expected to include Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Vanuatu, and Zimbabwe.
Let me emphasize that this list has reportedly been created by the State Department weeks ago, so remains subject to change before the White House implements new policies. Trump asked the State Department to complete this list within 60 days of January 20, so that’s coming up within the next week. Some countries might be removed from the list due to policy reasons, like not risking disruption to cooperation, or some other priority. 
I’m curious to see what the final list looks like…
In 2017, we saw Trump impose his first travel ban, an executive order titled “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States.” This included banning travel for people from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.
As you can see, the new list of countries is potentially quite a bit bigger. As The New York Times describes it, the countries on the list are “generally Muslim-majority or otherwise nonwhite, poor and have governments that are considered weak or corrupt.”
Some countries on the list certainly stand out:
- On the “red list,” the peaceful nation of Bhutan doesn’t fit in with the rest of the countries; I guess the government doesn’t think it has enough information to vet people, but you couldn’t pick a more pleasant or safe country
- It’s interesting to see Russia potentially included on any sort of list, and it’ll be telling whether or not the final order ends up including the country or not…
- With Trump’s efforts to deport undocumented migrants to Venezuela, one wonders if a travel ban might cause tensions that gets in the way of government cooperation
Bottom line
President Trump is expected to announce a new travel ban soon. While nothing has been finalized, we now have a sense of the countries that will likely be on the list. It’s expected that the list will consist of three kinds of countries, with some including an outright travel ban, and others including partial restrictions on the issuance of visas.
President Trump couldn’t name 43 countries if his life depended on it.
Bhutan? Just visited...it seemed USA is appreciated.
Laos? Also just visited, but I don't know enough about its politics. FWIW, it seemed as if capitalism is popular there.
Ok, now that we're deporting criminals, banning them from flying in, stock markets are down, FED and Prez said we will just have to live with it, DEI is banned, and the beautiful tariffs have been implemented.. surely, NOW the price of eggs will come down?
I guess with the illegal immigrant problem trump had to start somewhere. Those countries must be based on stats of illegal immigration, poor passport procedures etc. just wondering how many onemileatatime commenters go to Sudan, Eritrea etc for their holidays.
Russia has been removed from the list according to the latest updates because of course it was. I assume they'll add Ukraine instead because we have switched sides. I'm just surprised they didn't put Canada on the red list, for an extra dose of chaos.
Sadly, you may have something here. Newsweek reported in Nov 12, 2024 that Nikolai Patrushev, part of the Russian president's inner circle and former Secretary of the Security Council, told the Russian newspaper Kommersant:
"To achieve success in the elections, Donald Trump relied on certain forces to which he has corresponding obligations. And as a responsible person, he will be obliged to fulfill them."
Patrushev was answering a question about whether the new U.S. administration...
Sadly, you may have something here. Newsweek reported in Nov 12, 2024 that Nikolai Patrushev, part of the Russian president's inner circle and former Secretary of the Security Council, told the Russian newspaper Kommersant:
"To achieve success in the elections, Donald Trump relied on certain forces to which he has corresponding obligations. And as a responsible person, he will be obliged to fulfill them."
Patrushev was answering a question about whether the new U.S. administration amounted to "positive changes from Russia's point of view."
Couple of take aways from this situation - short the airlines, hospitality, and other travel related industries. This will chill travel at the expense of our businesses.
Also, btw - what’s the image of where Bhutan is referenced as to what did they ever do? What is that phalic image meant to represent? Confused..
The Kremlin have been bailing out and grooming Trump since the early 90s, playing the long game. Now he owes them and will be repaying them, at the expense of everyone else.
As a United States citizen, residing in Southeast Asia, my biggest concern is not the exclusions on entry to the US, but on the reciprocal action that these countries may take against Americans. I would hate to lose access to wonderful places like Laos in Cambodia.
Like the Brits who were living in Spain, France and Italy who voted for Brexit thinking that they wouldn't be affected, huh?
Same here. Trump doesn't like to travel and isn't interested culture in the US, much less other cultures in the world. A significant number of people in his base seem to think as he does.
So they have nothing to lose by cutting Americans off from the world. Or at least they think they don't.
You forgot to mention the Caribbean countries because they contract Cuban medical missions. There is a high probability that these countries will forgo US visa to maintain
the need of Cuban medical services. Biden initiated the travel ban policy.
Biden initiated no travel ban. He inherited COVID-19, immigration and some Cuba specific travel restrictions from the prior administration.
In fact, Biden lifted COVID-19 travel bans on several countries (replacing them with vaccination requirements), and eased some Trump-era restrictions on travel to Cuba (especially related to family reunification).
Remember that all those Muslim countries considered as terror countries by the US used to be peaceful untill the US and their Western allies started bombing them. USA killed 5 million innocent Iraqis to fulfill Netanyahu's wish or eliminating Sadam Hussain. Afghanistan was destroyed by the US on false allegations of the 9/11 incident which was planned by the US government itself along with CIA and Israel. And the list goes on. Almost every US...
Remember that all those Muslim countries considered as terror countries by the US used to be peaceful untill the US and their Western allies started bombing them. USA killed 5 million innocent Iraqis to fulfill Netanyahu's wish or eliminating Sadam Hussain. Afghanistan was destroyed by the US on false allegations of the 9/11 incident which was planned by the US government itself along with CIA and Israel. And the list goes on. Almost every US president is a war crime. They have committed unspeakable crimes against humanity in many countries including Vietnam, Cambodia and others in Latin America let alone Muslim countries.
Every sane person in the world tuned out when you went down the tinfoil hat route on 9/11.
To be honest, at this point I think every country on Earth should institute travel bans on US Americans (iykyk). What a sick, degenerate sh*thole of a country it is. Imagine going from the global beacon of liberty and prosperity to a demented cult-governed theocratic social media freak show in a few decades.
Pathetic.
Enjoy pariah status and terminal decline MAGAts.
Why not ban Lebanon and Iraq
Why ban Cape Verde
And Cuba has been operating flights for years to the US so why all of a sudden now is trump coming to his senses.
Also there is no point in banning India for those are wondering unless we still have a problem that no toilets are working
Just one more reason to dont go to US. I feel sorry for american people.
Oh no. What ever will we do?
@Common Sense - If you live in a town that relies on tourism, this sentiment should scare you. Almost 10M people have jobs that rely on tourism. Your confidence is misplaced.
I abhor the style and method of Trump and his administration.
But Barack Obama's administration gave the blueprint for all of this.
The most deportations in US history. Subverting Congress and leaning hard on the Supreme Court and executive authority to push policy and enshrine it in law. The most restrictive visa restrictions in modern history.
I hate the policy decisions that are being enacted but that's where it ends. To claim...
I abhor the style and method of Trump and his administration.
But Barack Obama's administration gave the blueprint for all of this.
The most deportations in US history. Subverting Congress and leaning hard on the Supreme Court and executive authority to push policy and enshrine it in law. The most restrictive visa restrictions in modern history.
I hate the policy decisions that are being enacted but that's where it ends. To claim autocracy or constitutional rot or the end of our government are hyperbolic reactions from sore losers. Kind of like the Tea Party, remember them? Democrats would not be screaming these things if the policy decisions were streamlined and full-force in the hands of Harris/Walz.
100%. Obama led the way. Trump and Biden merely followed Barry's awful precedent. I blame Obama and his dying party more than Trump.
It's been documented well in studies of neoliberalism. The Democratic Party could have snuck this kind of stuff into policy and made these moves for 100 years. They got too complacent and preachy and lost the middle. Now they see their moves played against them.
Wow, you people are still blaming President Obama for even the wind blowing and you having to take a daily dump. So freaking bizarre.
Ah, a MAGA voter trying to backpedal and justify their support in the midst of chaos. The post was about absurd bans on entry from nations like Bhutan, Cambodia, etc, that have absolutely no issues in relation to the U.S. to justify bans. Yet, of course, you choose to deflect it onto blaming Obama somehow....after how many years since his first inauguration? It's incredible. At least have the the guts to come clean that you made a massive mistake.
@Antwerp
I am a lifelong Democrat voter in the US and have offered support via dollars and feet on the ground since I was about 16 years old.
But some of you can't accept criticism. I see that now. I feel like I've provided a reasonable critique. You haven't. I understand more and more why MAGA and Originalism have gained steam.
You backpedal. Period. If you had any ability to reason or were truthful you would see that you commented on a post about banning nations (many) that have no issues with the U.S., just Trump for whatever reason, and you decided to blame Obama from 15 years ago.
This was about nothing else but policy related to alienating the world. You chose to make it about Obama without citing anything he did in the...
You backpedal. Period. If you had any ability to reason or were truthful you would see that you commented on a post about banning nations (many) that have no issues with the U.S., just Trump for whatever reason, and you decided to blame Obama from 15 years ago.
This was about nothing else but policy related to alienating the world. You chose to make it about Obama without citing anything he did in the past that directly relates to this. You are MAGA, and now pretending to be something else.
swear to god, the "i'm not a trumper, but" trumpers are the worst trumpers, every goddamn time
False equivalency, Santos + John. Obama did not provide a "blueprint" for Trump's travel bans. His administration implemented temporary, limited and country-specific responses to security concerns of the moment. Not blanket bans across dozens of countries.
- DHS under Obama changed methodology for counting deportations. They counted returns (border turnarounds), DHS hadn't done before.
- Obama prioritized recent border crossers and those with criminal records.
- DACA created a path for citizenship for...
False equivalency, Santos + John. Obama did not provide a "blueprint" for Trump's travel bans. His administration implemented temporary, limited and country-specific responses to security concerns of the moment. Not blanket bans across dozens of countries.
- DHS under Obama changed methodology for counting deportations. They counted returns (border turnarounds), DHS hadn't done before.
- Obama prioritized recent border crossers and those with criminal records.
- DACA created a path for citizenship for childhood arrivals with specific criteria for eligibility.
Claiming Obama had the most restrictive visa restrictions in modern history" isn't supported by data. He expanded several visa programs.
- False equivalency between Obama and Trump: Obama's measures were temporary, limited responses to specific security concerns, not blanket bans. He prioritized deportations of recent crossers and those with criminal records, and DACA created pathways for eligible childhood arrivals.
- Claiming Obama had "the most restrictive visa restrictions in modern history" is unsupported by data—he actually expanded several visa programs.
- It's not partisan hyperbole to identify authoritarian populism: Trump's administration has systematically undermined three essential democratic pillars—protecting elections, defending rule of law, and fighting corruption.
- Constitutional scholars across the ideological spectrum warn that unprecedented executive power grabs violate separation of powers, including impounding congressionally-appropriated funds and creating unaccountable entities like DOGE that bypass constitutional guardrails.
So happy with Trump! He’s restricting those with terror ties. This is what I voted for :)
Yes,Yes! Specially the "Terrorists" that Bombed 2 million Iraqis, 5 million Vietnamese, Cambodians,Laotians,etc to Hell. They were ALL Guilty, Right?
This will really make the world love Americans.
This is exactly what I voted for and its a nice change from the last four years of the auto-pen 'president' - I don't care what the rest of the world thinks about America.
You go on with your bad selves Kevin and Nikki.
Confirm once again that conman chump does not have to be smart if his victims are willingly stupid enough.
Those pesky Bhutanese terrorists. Assuming this is irony. I can't imagine such ignorance otherwise. But it does explain a lot if sincere.
Don't forget those Cape Verde terrorists too. And from Antigua and Barbuda. And Vanuatu. And Laos. And so on...
@Nikki
How many glasses of piss did you drink?
What’s the problem with Vanuatu ?
Money laundering.
@henare
You're telling me Vanuatu does more money laundering than the UAE?
And their infamous 'passport-for-sale' scheme which has broad appeal to the high-rolling criminal class and/or terrorists. Don't be fooled by the seemingly placid or harmless nature of these small nations. Their govts are highly corrupt while the common folks suffer.
You mean the same passport for sale that Trump is proposing for the U.S.?
I wonder if the boss will allow POTUS to keep Russia on the list.
Bruce Springsteen?
A Belarusian here.
Belarus, Eritrea and Turkmenistan are on the list because of affirmative asylum process. There are no achievements on the international area for this countries except highest approval rate for asylum in the US for citizens of this countries. It is like yearly olympic games for losers “who’s gonna win this year”. For example, citizens of Belarus got asylum granted in 80+% of cases, almost the same as Turkmenistan and Eritrea. Just...
A Belarusian here.
Belarus, Eritrea and Turkmenistan are on the list because of affirmative asylum process. There are no achievements on the international area for this countries except highest approval rate for asylum in the US for citizens of this countries. It is like yearly olympic games for losers “who’s gonna win this year”. For example, citizens of Belarus got asylum granted in 80+% of cases, almost the same as Turkmenistan and Eritrea. Just compare that to Mexico with 4% granted asylum.
So, Trump administration just literally include 3 type of countries here:
- Really muslim countries;
- Bunch of Central America countries, bc in a rare case of getting a tourist/business visa they arrive here and naturalise by other way (getting married, overstay, etc.);
- Countries with the highest approval of affirmative asylum (affirmative = arrive legally as a tourist/businessman and apply for asylum). And that’s such a pain for the new administration: affirmative asylum might be granted at USCIS office and in case of denying, a court process. They legally can’t change that process and decided just to ban those people.
It has been just 50 days, 1000+ more coming.
Somebody ask here why not India/China. So, their asylum approval rate the way lower than Belarus/Eritrea
So Pakistan is on the list but India or China aren't? Bizarre.
Pakistan is really bad, they are full of terrorists
Nikki Patel? Is that your Real name? Your God Modi is Guilty of Genocide also.
@Nikki
How many glasses of piss did you drink?
What a good move. I think we should also put travel restrictions on gays, trans, lesbians, humans, children within the country going forward. That way, nobody moves, not even Trump, and with that, there will be no flights and therefore no crashes.
Oh, sure. Leave the aliens at Area 51 off the list so they can roam free. What are you thinking?
You know...if you're careful enough...nothing good or bad will ever happen to you.
I’m confused by the list. Isn’t India one of the largest sources of visa overstays? If there were any logic to this list, wouldn’t India be on it??
My very uneducated guess would be:
1) it's better to keep Modi not agitated for geo-strategic reasons
2) Indian nationals were (and still are?) a very large source of tech/IT staff on special visas. I presume the benefits trump any drawbacks from overstayers (no pun intended), at least for the time being
Any travel bans for Greenland?
More than 250 thousand Indians have come Illegaly through the Mexican Border in the last 3 years. Why is India not on the List?
Not all the Indians coming to USA are Tech savy or Engineers. Many, many are Rapists & SCAMMERS
Oh, Franklin,,,India CAN'T be on the list -- where would American companies put their customer service call centers?
In absolute terms, yes.
In percentage terms though India is about 4% overstay which is around the same as Spain and Taiwan.
We don't keep track of people leaving, which makes enforcement of visa overstays much more difficult. If it's such an issue, maybe some of the money being spent on immigration enforcement should be put towards building the infrastructure necessary to require exit "stamps" like the Schengen area.
Exit stamps only work if you actually show up at a border to leave.
Exactly. So those don’t show up at the border are overstaying their visas! I never understood why the US doesn’t track comings and goings of visitors like every other country does.
The UK used to track leaving, until the government decided to save money by removing exit passport desks in the 1980s.
Was the timing the same in the USA?
Nowadays given the interfaces from airlines to government I would have thought it would be simple to track exits that way?
They do. In fact DHS has a public record of it if you choose to look. Bhutan had in 2023 188 entries from Bhutan. Yes, a total of 188. Of those, 48 were tagged as overstays. Yes, 48. Which, in the delusional world of MAGA means, well, what is anybody's guess. They are eating the dogs and cats?
@Antwerp
That is a lot dumbass...
25% are criminals.
US historical data reveals a consistent pattern of overstay concerns involving Bhutanese nationals, especially in the student category, even if we are talking about low numbers overall (no more than a few hundred a year).
Other than the usual suspects, I see countries that either:
- sell citizenships/passports for investments (aka cash)
- are seen as uncooperative in taking back their own citizens expelled from America
- are overrepresented in illegal...
US historical data reveals a consistent pattern of overstay concerns involving Bhutanese nationals, especially in the student category, even if we are talking about low numbers overall (no more than a few hundred a year).
Other than the usual suspects, I see countries that either:
- sell citizenships/passports for investments (aka cash)
- are seen as uncooperative in taking back their own citizens expelled from America
- are overrepresented in illegal border crossings in the MEX/US border
You mean like the U.S. (golden visa)?
The overall idea seems to be the same. However, the devil is in the details...
For example, there is a Caribbean Golden Passport obtained through citizenship by investment offered by one of five Caribbean countries–Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, and St Lucia. If I am not mistaken, those are the countries considered for the American blacklist
By your own list of problematic criteria, only 9 of these countries should be on any kind of travel ban list (if it were wise to do so). Of the countries on the proposed list:
- Only 3 offer economic passports.
- Only 6 were officially designated as recalcitrant in deportation cooperation ("uncooperative in taking back their own citizens expelled from America").
- None are identified by CPB as overrepresented in southern border...
By your own list of problematic criteria, only 9 of these countries should be on any kind of travel ban list (if it were wise to do so). Of the countries on the proposed list:
- Only 3 offer economic passports.
- Only 6 were officially designated as recalcitrant in deportation cooperation ("uncooperative in taking back their own citizens expelled from America").
- None are identified by CPB as overrepresented in southern border crossings (caveat - Venezuela shows significant crossing numbers).
Bhutan had just 68 overstays from 295 visitors in FY22, with no documented criminal impact, while countries with thousands more overstays aren't included (Brazil, Colombia, India).
One other thing. There are quite a few countries that actually meet the criteria you've laid out as a possible justification for inclusion on a travel ban list:
- Economic passports: Malta, Cyprus, Montenegro, Turkey, Jordan, and Grenada
- Designated as recalcitrant by ICE: Algeria, China, and Iraq
- Overrepresented in southern border crossings: Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador
Sources: CBP Southwest Border Encounters (FY21-24), 2016 ICE Testimony on "Recalcitrant Countries" to House Oversight Committee, DHS FY2022 Entry/Exit Overstay Report
Although I hate to give credence to anything Trump says, and I absolutely love the country of Bhutan, I have had multiple friends there acknowledge to me that they know people who have overstayed their visas and are living/working illegally. Mostly in the NYC area. Still, for a country of less than a million I can't imagine those numbers are significant in anyway, and it's not like they represent any sort of national security issue...
Although I hate to give credence to anything Trump says, and I absolutely love the country of Bhutan, I have had multiple friends there acknowledge to me that they know people who have overstayed their visas and are living/working illegally. Mostly in the NYC area. Still, for a country of less than a million I can't imagine those numbers are significant in anyway, and it's not like they represent any sort of national security issue or otherwise detrimental effect to the country. In fact, their closeness to India and opposition to Chinese expanse in the Himalayas could make them a valuable ally if the US were to ever explore establishing formal diplomatic relations with them. They're frankly exactly the type of immigrants we should be welcoming. Given their level of wealth and geographic location, they punch far above their weight class in terms of crime levels and corruption, and I know them to be an industrious, entrepeneurial, and peace-loving people. Illegal immigration is illegal because it contradicts some words on paper, but that doesn't mean those laws are sensible. The US more than probably any other country should know the value of immigration, and we should be making it easier for productive members of the global community to have a legal path here.
Dude, total overstays in the U.S. from Bhutan in 2023 were.....48. Total visitors were 188. High percentage of what? Nothing? My word you people are amazing.
You can be sure that whoever ends up on the list, most of them will be for illegitimate reasons.
Fun reminder to you liberals with TDS.
California has a “travel ban” with half of the states in the US because they don’t “conform to californias strict DEI nonsense”
Gavin Newsom seems to think a travel ban within his own country is a good idea. Can’t do business with Alabama for instance because “racism.” To act like this sort of this is a “red” thing is laughable to say laughable
Fun reminder to you Trump supporters who don't do your research - The CA Travel Ban was repealed in 2023. Do a search before you post nonsense - please.
https://www.ucop.edu/central-travel-management/resources/ab-1887-travel-prohibition-to-certain-states-using-state-funding-source%E2%80%8B.html
Trump fans doing research? That's a good one.
Not only was the ban repealed, but it was for government employees on official business only. Citizens have always been free to travel as they please. Your false equivalencies are pathetic.
Definitely the stupidest post of 2025. Arps, you're up
Get your facts straight, Dale. What President Trump is proposing is an actual ban on people traveling from those countries to the States.
- California never banned the citizens of other states from traveling to California. California at one point had a law on the books that prohibited state-funded and state-sponsored travel to states with discriminatory laws (Assembly Bill No. 1887, which, as seanp78 noted, has been repealed). That's not even close to what...
Get your facts straight, Dale. What President Trump is proposing is an actual ban on people traveling from those countries to the States.
- California never banned the citizens of other states from traveling to California. California at one point had a law on the books that prohibited state-funded and state-sponsored travel to states with discriminatory laws (Assembly Bill No. 1887, which, as seanp78 noted, has been repealed). That's not even close to what we're discussing here.
- This TDS label is hilarious - because the vast majority of deranged behavior is coming from the Trump camp.
You have to wonder if this is an effort on the Trump administration to put pressure on many of these countries to take in the Palestinians they plan on forcibly displacing.
Trump is currently pressuring Sudan and Somalia to take in Palestinians. Caribbean countries are Christian and holiday paradise which are in contrast with Palestinians' culture and religion. I have never been to or plan to visit the Caribbean until I am retired. There are more fascinating destinations to visit than just the islands.
Actually, Palestinians can be Christians too (it's Jesus of Nazareth darling, not Jesus of New Jersey). Also not all Palestinian Muslims are devout or religious. Some are secular. Many either way also drink. And some also vacation in holiday paradises (those in the diaspora who can travel, mostly).
St. Kitts and Nevis? What did they do to make Trump mad?
Maybe he wanted to build a Trump resort there and they wouldn't let him?
Maybe over the past 5 years, St. Kitts and Nevis has seen a rise in migrant smuggling incidents, particularly involving Haitian nationals and Cameroonians, who have been transported under dangerous conditions. This lead to their Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Bill (2024). Maybe you guys just don't get around enough to see what is going on in the real world?
And compared to how many Indians or Chinese come in and overstay their visas?
It’s one of the easiest countries to obtain a citizenship if you have money. Because of this people from weak passport countries are willing to buy (invest) in the hope of easier access to North America and Europe which are mostly visa free for the citizens. Ammar from Yes Theory (originally from Egypt) is also one of them.
Many do the same for Malta as well, and it's not on the list.
Thank you for speaking up for Bhutan. The photo makes me more desirous of going there.
On the merits, this proposed ban will yield minimum security benefits and significantly harm the US economically and diplomatically - not to mention the potential retaliatory measures against US travelers.
One, Bhutan being on the "red list" is suspect. Having a good crypto strategy (hat tip /Lee) is no justification.
The humanitarian impact will be significant as well (hat tip /Icarus).
Businesses and communities that benefit from international conferences, students and business travelers may also...
On the merits, this proposed ban will yield minimum security benefits and significantly harm the US economically and diplomatically - not to mention the potential retaliatory measures against US travelers.
One, Bhutan being on the "red list" is suspect. Having a good crypto strategy (hat tip /Lee) is no justification.
The humanitarian impact will be significant as well (hat tip /Icarus).
Businesses and communities that benefit from international conferences, students and business travelers may also suffer (hat tip /Cedric).
Finally, this ban is clearly crafted to carefully (though not explicitly) ban "Muslim-majority or otherwise nonwhite, poor" countries. This suggests ulterior motives. I'll let you decide what that might mean.
Tl;dr - Proper vetting is important, but blanket nationality-based bans are counterproductive blunt instruments that fail to accomplish the purported goal of enhancing national security.
Well put, Counterproductive Security Kabuki! There are clearly ulterior motives to this list, and it's fascinating how Trump's white supremacy leads both his domestic and foreign policies.
Orange man bad. We should let all the Islamic terrorists in. . Let all the south American gang bangers in. Let all the middle eastern and north African "refugee" rapists in. Orange man bad
And...what percentage of refugees and migrants being let in are terrorists, rapists, and gang bangers?
What percentage of them aren’t?
Do you ask people their name before you let them in the front door?
This country is a shared home.
I do not want YOU letting strangers into our home without asking them a single question.
You don’t seem to care who’s let into our home.
I do. I want to know if they have a criminal history. I want to know if they’re a...
What percentage of them aren’t?
Do you ask people their name before you let them in the front door?
This country is a shared home.
I do not want YOU letting strangers into our home without asking them a single question.
You don’t seem to care who’s let into our home.
I do. I want to know if they have a criminal history. I want to know if they’re a criminal running from the law of their own land.
But you? You just want to let anyone in that can walk here.
What about my people? My people can’t walk here. They’d get stopped at customs and immigration, turned around and sent home before they could even get out of the airport.
A little terrorist sympathizer is in custody for leading riots on college campuses and you’re all sad and demanding his release.
No. We’ve had enough.
Not a fan of Trump... but trying to look at this list objectively. Some of it, I get.
Red List...
Afghanistan under Taliban control (human rights),
Iran (human rights and nuclear weapons program),
North Korea (Same as Iran, with unstable leadership),
Sudan (civil war genocide),
Somalia government corruption documents/passports mean nothing ($hit show. Complete chaos, areas under control of Islamic State, Al-Shabaab, Somaliland, and then the actual government of...
Not a fan of Trump... but trying to look at this list objectively. Some of it, I get.
Red List...
Afghanistan under Taliban control (human rights),
Iran (human rights and nuclear weapons program),
North Korea (Same as Iran, with unstable leadership),
Sudan (civil war genocide),
Somalia government corruption documents/passports mean nothing ($hit show. Complete chaos, areas under control of Islamic State, Al-Shabaab, Somaliland, and then the actual government of Somalia),
Yemen (civil war and launching missiles (supplied by Iran) at ships. Under Iranian influence).
Orange list ....
Haiti Government in shambles. Has troops from African countries trying to install law and order.
Hope the US economy crashes. Sad for the vast majority who didn’t vote for this c—t.
We should boycott the ‘26 World Cup as he will be like Hitler at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
Well said. Trump only serves himself - he trashes California - its people, politicians - and yet in 2026 you bet he’ll be loving LA as if he is personally hosting the Olympics. If he’s even still alive then, of course. Musk won’t be leading DOGE at that point!
The “vast majority” voted for him libtard
That's incorrect, Ryan.
Donald Trump received 77,302,580 votes (49.80%)
Kamala Harris received 75,017,613 votes (48.32%)
That's by no means a "vast majority"
Today there is a lot of chatter about the Trump effect upon the US economy, etc.
Well now people, if you think that Trump is bad trust me, he and his Cabal are saintly in comparison to the looney lefties in the current UK Labour government.
At least he is keeping the world’s unwashed out of the USA, while our numpties are allowing everyone in.
Read about Nelson and Gladys Gonzalez who were legally residing in California for 35 years. Reporting to the authorities as required whilst the government processed their request. Nelson is a phlebotomist and was legally permitted to work. They reported as they have done for 35 years, arrested, separated, flown to a detention centre in Louisiana in shackles where they’ve been for weeks in separate “ cells” awaiting deportation to Colombia. They have a home, family...
Read about Nelson and Gladys Gonzalez who were legally residing in California for 35 years. Reporting to the authorities as required whilst the government processed their request. Nelson is a phlebotomist and was legally permitted to work. They reported as they have done for 35 years, arrested, separated, flown to a detention centre in Louisiana in shackles where they’ve been for weeks in separate “ cells” awaiting deportation to Colombia. They have a home, family and friends in orange county.
The Republicans are a fascist government.
@AeroB13a
Oh FFS! Gimme a break with this ridiculous inanity. The tory party was in power for 14 years and wrecked Britain, yet people like you continue to trump this BS. What is wrong with you people?
Go speak to people who have to choose whether to heat their homes or eat. Go speak to the employed who have to go to food banks. Go speak to people who have to wait over a year...
@AeroB13a
Oh FFS! Gimme a break with this ridiculous inanity. The tory party was in power for 14 years and wrecked Britain, yet people like you continue to trump this BS. What is wrong with you people?
Go speak to people who have to choose whether to heat their homes or eat. Go speak to the employed who have to go to food banks. Go speak to people who have to wait over a year for medical attention in what was once the Cadillac of global health system. All that has occurred under the tory party. The labour government is trying to fix the pure unadulterated mess the conservative party left - like all conservative parties leave. The USA will not be any different when the cabal in power is finished with fleecing the USA.
Obama had to clean up the mess Bush left. Biden had to clean up the mess chump left. I pity whoever will have to clean up the mess when chump and his cabal leave. This time, the coffers will be bare.
Thank you JD, one really appreciates the opportunity to dispel the looney, far left propaganda, which has been so easily been gulped down by the champagne socialists around the world.
One must correct your accusation of any “Ridiculous inanity” that you presume to suggest. In point of fact there has not been a truly Conservative Party, in government, in Great Britain, since the wet, weak and woke John Major, aided by his collaborators, knifed...
Thank you JD, one really appreciates the opportunity to dispel the looney, far left propaganda, which has been so easily been gulped down by the champagne socialists around the world.
One must correct your accusation of any “Ridiculous inanity” that you presume to suggest. In point of fact there has not been a truly Conservative Party, in government, in Great Britain, since the wet, weak and woke John Major, aided by his collaborators, knifed Margaret Thatcher in the back. Margaret Thatcher was the last true Tory PM. John Major on the other hand and every so called ‘conservative’ government since, have simply been LibDems wearing blue rosettes. They could never claim to be truly Conservative Party members.
Furthermore, it is a point of fact that every Labour government since WWll, upon leaving office, have left Great Britain in a worse financial position than upon taking power. In recent times the Labour governments of Blair and Brown, absolutely wrecked the UK economy. They completely emptied the coffers by selling off our gold reserves, decimated the British Armed Forces capability, education systems and opened the floodgates to unprecedented illegal immigration. Not withstanding, they sowed the seeds for generations of sick, lame and lazy who rely so heavily upon the diminishing working population for their existence on social security.
The current Labour government are not “Trying to fix” anything. On the contrary, they are the instigators of the “Pure unadulterated mess” we are currently experiencing. In the case of the current Labour government they too will leave the UK coffers completely bare. So much so that history will record this Labour government to be the worst of all UK and Labour governments combined.
One is ever hopeful that your distorted view of the UK Labour government, combined with your 1950’s view of the NHS, will soon become a distant memory. Thereafter, you may well think again before disseminating Labour Party propaganda.
Finally, one has to ask …. “Gimme a break with this ridiculous inanity”, “What is wrong with you people”?
State Department just expelled the South African ambassador for calling Trump a dog- whistle racist, so they’ll be on the list on Monday too.
They won’t bc our olig-president is from there. They will only allow the White ones!
He is of course correct. The wrong South African.
Bhutan has excess electricity from its hydro-generation plant. It uses that excess for Bitcoin mining. It is a major player. Given that Bhutan is otherwise unremarkable, there might be some angle related to this. Few of its 750k population have the means (or desire) to travel to the US. So, to what effect?
Heard it's due to over 60% of Bhutan people overstay their visa.
There are about 24000 Bhutanese in the USA. Many Lhotshampas refugees granted asylum following ethnic cleansing. Many Americans overstay in Europe and have been living here illegally. They can rightfully claim asylum now as fleeing from an oppressive government with their rights threatened.
The overstay amounts from Bhutan were the following in 2023: 188 total visitors on business and tourist visas. 48 overstayed their visa. Yes, 48. The horror.
The Bhutanese press cites rampant problems with scammers from Nepal claiming to be Bhutanese refugees trying to enter the US. The US lacks an embassy there to interview applicants.
I am just reporting the stories. I don't make the policy or list.
So, correct me if I am wrong, penalize Bhutan for Nepalese scammers claiming to be Bhutanese? A brilliant solution, lol.
I work in the international meetings industry and this will just send more meetings/conferneces out of the USA. Same thing happened in his first term. More business for the rest of the world...I swear his plan is to shrink the US economy.
100%. I know many European colleagues who don’t want to visit or meet here.
I don blame Trump though, I blame his supporters. They prioritized hate and fear over development. These tariffs, bans and unprovoked wars which are aimed to make the avg Fox News audience content will have long lasting impact on our economy. I don’t want any democrats to win in 2028, let them create the mess and then deal with it.
I’ve been dealing with clients who won’t go to the USA now. I also know several in the US who have relocated to Portugal and Italy. They are dual nationals hence it was easy. Last week I was dealing with a Latino living in the US who is an American citizen but fearful of what’s happening. Even though he has a US passport, and was born there, he arrived at JFK last week and was questioned for an hour. They also asked personal questions about his sexuality.
Hey, I live here and I don't want to visit here either!
Are some of these countries the same ones that won't let orange haired convicted felons visit them?
Hilarious! Well done…
Smarter would be to let them in and then arrest them for ICC charges!
Vanuatu? Seriously?
Sells passport to rich Syrians and others. That's a possible reason
So do many other countries that aren't on the list, especially known tax haven Caribbean nations.
Isn't that what Trump's "gold card" idea is?
Do these government officials or 47 knows where on earth is Bhutan?
Better yet. How many Americans can actually point Bhutan on a map?
Might as well ban Hogwarts or Winterfell.
Talk shows will be having a lot of fun this week.
Honey, I keep telling you over and over: have your drug fix AFTER you logout of this forum, not BEFORE. The poor darlings can't understand you otherwise..
Interesting picture of Bhutan.....
Yes I found it rather tasteless. Excuse the pun…
Hey Ben — you really need to have that picture of a big cXock referencing Bhutan? You can do a little better than that?
@ Cole -- It's a common sight there and has cultural significance, so I'm not sure what you find problematic about it? I figured it was more interesting than just including another picture of the Tiger's Nest...
Like other cultural symbols such as Swastika or to you brainwashed people the Nazi insignia.
Respectfully, Ben, I’m going to guess most people reading your site are not aware of Bhutan culture —- even those of us who have the resources to travel far and wide. I had to read a Wikipedia entry to educate myself. And it also said that the phallus worship has becoming embarrassing to suburbanites
Bugger off you upright prude
Cole, this is a travel blog. If you aren’t traveling enough and/or understanding local culture in the process, that’s really on you.
Graffiti of dongs is objectively funny.
Scientific fact.
Calm down, Cole.
If you saw something a little bit provoking and it had you educate yourself that's a win in my book
Trump only understands politics through the lens of The Border™. Which is why in spite of implementing virtually no useful domestic measures to stem the spread of covid in early 2020, his chief policy "achievement" was a set of travel bans that served no purpose, except to set off a chain reaction that destroyed the global tourism industry for nearly three years. I despise him, and hope he eats as many taco salads as possible in the coming weeks and months.
No measures to stop spread of covid? Didn't we invent the vaccines? Are you still wearing a mask yourself? What a joke saying he was responsible for global travel decline. You must be Chinese. They are the reason for all the problems the world had because of covid.
@Mark -- First of all, I had no idea you had such a great sense of humor. Secondly, you think it's going to get better with RFK, Jr. in charge?
Pfizer was developed in Germany by BioNTech, AstraZeneca in Oxford in the UK. Moderna was the only one of the 3 initial vaccines developed in the US. A lot of the later vaccines have been Chinese, although not much adopted outside China and its sphere of influence. So no, you didn't "invent the vaccines", just one of them.
Now I get it. Trump has varied attacks on nations ranked highest in citizen happiness. Denmark, Canada, and now Bhutan as an example.
Maybe this is more about Make The World Miserable Again so America doesn't look like the immense joke of a nation it has become in the last month.
On another note, it will be interesting to see how NHL players might be affected with visa restrictions on Russia.
ATP/WTA players too. The Indian Wells women's final is between a Belarusian and a Russian.
@Nikki
How many glasses of piss did you drink?
@Antwerp
It is very sad to see the US being ruled by a crazy president. Trump is turning the US into a circus.
I feel like someone in the administration mistook Bhutan for somewhere else & everyone was too afraid to speak up.
High overstay rates…
I'm just as perplexed by Laos on the orange list.
Now THIS will bring down the price of eggs.
MAGA!
Oh, wait…
Yeah, like we really are suffering in Florida buying organic eggs at $3.99 dozen this month. But that's your story so stick to it SlickWilly.
@AlohaDaveKennedy At which store? Eggs at my grocery store were $9.99/dozen, limit one dozen per customer, yesterday.
@TravelinPenis...how's your new moniker suiting you? No need to thank me. Looks like it's really caught on since I christened you ;)
Agent Orange is too sweet on Putin, I’m sure this is just optics on Russia for now.
Very curious about Bhutan, it is too small and peaceful a country to be relevant to any list but must be some political issue they are unhappy with (though Bhutans foreign policy is guided by India as their entire existence as a country is predicated on an Indian security guarantee). Or maybe throwing in a tiny non Muslim nation makes the ban more “well rounded” to withstand court challenges. Almost all the other “red countries”...
Very curious about Bhutan, it is too small and peaceful a country to be relevant to any list but must be some political issue they are unhappy with (though Bhutans foreign policy is guided by India as their entire existence as a country is predicated on an Indian security guarantee). Or maybe throwing in a tiny non Muslim nation makes the ban more “well rounded” to withstand court challenges. Almost all the other “red countries” have an ESTA ban, meaning foreign travelers who go to that red country need to get a stamped visa to enter the U.S. and that usually invites intense scrutiny and probably denial. Aviation blogger Josh Cahill has been effectively banned from the U.S. for this reason. If this new red list has the same ESTA impact as the other red countries, it could have a chilling impact on Bhutans tourism as I would imagine the majority of travelers would not be willing to risk their access to the U.S. to go on a peaceful discretionary holiday.
Xenophobia I see is alive and kicking here
What happened to the article about the Fairfield Inn selling rooms that don't exist and sending people to the Crowne plaza in Toronto? You took it down? Lame.
@ Josh -- It's still up:
https://onemileatatime.com/news/fairfield-toronto-airport-rebooking-scam/
I get the most extreme list but beyond that is as crazy as the current president is. He's lost his mind and we're all not using our voice enough
Yeah, the Trump circus train just keeps on chugging.
What did you expect after the Biden clown car broke down?
All very reasonable, common-sense precautions to keep those people out. We don't need them, and we don't need to let them visit. It's our country, not theirs. KEEP OUT!
I disagree. Vet them, Let them come visit and spend money here. But track them and make sure they do not overstay. That’s one of the biggest problems with illegals here, they come in with a visa and overstay.
@Dan, I would happily trade about 20 million people from the MAGA cult for 20 million people from these targeted countries. I am sure our country would benefit tremendously from this exchange.
@Matt, if you don’t like it here feel free to leave.
Bruh. There more than 20 million Maga. We need to trade like 90
20 million is enough to change the election results.
Bali seems to have similar problems with "WHITES" overstaying or taking Photography and other Jobs from Locals. Should they start making Lists of countries? where does it end?
All that Goodwill US had done over the years with poor countries has mostly turned towards hatred in the last few years. control the Borders but Don't dole out a Total Ban.
@Dan
The indigenous population of your country wishes they had done the same, I think.
Vance is that you ? So you assume all those people have ill intent ? I mean, who really wants to go to the USA with t— s like you living there who can’t find Canada on a map let alone Bhutan