December 17, 2025 | 03:39 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Tuesday’s order expanded US travel restrictions to six additional entities—Palestine, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria—on top of the 12 countries announced in June.
The decree did not explicitly name Palestine, which Washington does not recognise as a state, nor did it refer to the occupied Palestinian territory.
Instead, the document categorises the entry ban under “Palestinian Authority Documents” and defines Palestinians as “individuals attempting to travel on PA-issued or endorsed travel documents”.
The move comes weeks after Trump announced a “permanent pause” on migration from what he described as “all Third World Countries,” following the shooting of two National Guard troops in Washington, DC.
“Several US-designated terrorist groups operate actively in the West Bank or Gaza Strip and have murdered American citizens,” the White House said in a statement quoted by Al Jazeera.
“Also, the recent war in these areas likely resulted in compromised vetting and screening abilities.”
The White House added that, given these conditions and what it described as weak oversight by the Palestinian Authority, individuals traveling with PA-issued or certified documents cannot currently be properly vetted and approved for entry into the United States.
People who already hold valid visas, lawful permanent residents, and certain visa categories such as diplomats or athletes are exempt from the restrictions. Individuals whose entry is deemed to serve US national interests are also excluded. According to NDTV, the new rules will take effect on January 1, 2026.
The ban on Syrian citizens comes as Washington and Damascus have made tentative moves toward improved relations, following Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s visit to the White House in November. Despite those efforts, the White House said Syria still lacks sufficient administrative capacity.
“While the country is working to address its security challenges in close coordination with the United States, Syria still lacks an adequate central authority for issuing passports or civil documents and does not have appropriate screening and vetting measures,” the statement said.
US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard cited a mass shooting that killed 15 people at a Jewish festival in Australia to defend the immigration restrictions. In a post on X on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, she described Islamic extremism as a major global security threat.
“Islamists and Islamism is the greatest threat to the freedom, security, and prosperity of the United States and the entire world. It is probably too late for Europe – and maybe Australia,” Gabbard wrote.
“It is not too late for the United States of America. But it soon will be. Thankfully, President Trump has prioritized securing our borders and deporting known and suspected terrorists, and stopping mass, unvetted migration that puts Americans at risk.”
She praised Trump for prioritizing border security, deporting known and suspected terrorists, and stopping what she described as unverified mass migration that endangers American citizens.
Meanwhile, Trump’s allies within the Republican Party have increasingly used Islamophobic rhetoric, with some openly calling for a ban on Muslims entering the United States.
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