The U.S. government, under President Donald Trump, is considering expanding its travel ban to include people from 36 additional countries, according to a message from the State Department seen by Reuters. Earlier this month, Trump had already signed an order blocking people from 12 countries from entering the U.S., saying it was to protect the country from terrorists and other security threats.

This move is part of Trump’s tougher immigration policies in his second term.These have included sending hundreds of Venezuelans back to El Salvador because they were suspected of being gang members, stopping some foreign students from studying in the U.S., and sending some others back to their home countries. The internal message, signed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, listed several concerns about the 36 countries and asked them to fix certain issues.

The U.S. government has warned 36 countries that they could face full or partial travel bans if they don’t fix certain issues within the next 60 days. According to an internal message from the State Department, these countries have problems such as weak government systems that fail to provide secure ID documents, unsafe passports, and lack of cooperation in taking back their citizens who are ordered to be deported from the U.S.

In some cases, citizens from these countries have overstayed their visas and have been linked to terrorism or shown anti-American or antisemitic behaviour. The message also noted that not all of these concerns apply to every country on the list. A U.S. official said that the government regularly updates its policies to ensure the safety of Americans and that all visitors follow U.S. laws.

Countries with ban

The 36 countries named in the warning include Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Ethiopia, Egypt, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

This move would greatly expand the travel ban that was enforced earlier this month. That earlier ban blocked entry from countries like Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. It has also made partial restrictions were placed on people coming from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. This isn’t the first time such action has been taken—during his first term, President Trump introduced a travel ban on seven Muslim-majority countries. That policy faced legal challenges but was eventually upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018.