The United States has made its immigration rules stricter. Now, people from five more countries cannot enter the US. This new rule started on January 1st. It also puts limits on people from fifteen other countries. The government says this is to make the US borders more secure. People with travel papers from the Palestinian Authority also face new limits.
Citizens from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria are now banned. Laos and Sierra Leone were already partially banned. Now, they are fully banned. Countries like Nigeria, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe have new, stricter entry limits. The White House said these rules are to "protect the security of the United States."
Officials explained why the rules are changing. They mentioned that some people stay in the US longer than allowed. They also said screening processes in other countries are not good enough. Officials also worry about missing records, corruption, and terrorism. They pointed to a recent arrest as an example of security risks.
The US government also mentioned problems in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. They said some terrorist groups there have killed Americans. The Palestinian Authority has weak control in these areas, they added. This is the third big travel ban since 2017.
This ban will stop many people from coming to the US. The ban will continue until countries show they have improved their systems. This new ban is likely to cause strong reactions. Civil rights groups and people watching from other countries will likely be very critical.