In a bombshell move, the US has announced a list of 75 countries that will be banned from entering America for the foreseeable future.

The US has announced plans to ‘pause immigrant visa processing for 75 countries,’ which have happened much sooner than some may have assumes.

The Trump administration has intensified efforts to crack down on illegal immigration across the United States in recent months, with more than 64,000 people currently held in detention.

Why have ICE agents been deployed across America?

ICE agents have been deployed to several states to combat crime, and arrest those who have allegedly entered the country through illegal means.

They have, however, sparked controversy among citizens, some of whom claim they are simply causing ‘destruction.’

Further backlash arose on January 7, when ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot 37-year-old US citizen Renee Good in Minneapolis.

The 43-year-old officer fired three fatal gunshots at the mom-of-three, who attempted to flee the hostile situation in her vehicle.

Following her brutal death, protests and disruption has only escalated across America, with many demanding ICE agents leave their cities and allow residents to return to normal life.

Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse at a Minneapolis VA hospital, was also shot dead by federal immigration agents on January 24, 2026.

The former scout and outdoorsman had been protesting Trump’s immigration crackdown when agents claimed he resisted disarming and they fired in self-defense.

However, BBC Verify analysis of videos shows Pretti holding only a phone, not a weapon, when tackled. An agent is seen removing what appears to be a pistol from Pretti’s waist before the shooting.

His family condemned ‘disgusting lies’ calling him a terrorist, describing him instead as a caring nurse who wanted to help others. Pretti was a legal gun owner with no criminal record.

But after Trump’s announcement threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act, it now appears the situation may only worsen for citizens calling for the officers’ withdrawal.

The law would allow active-duty military personnel to enforce the law inside the US.

The President can use it when ‘rebellion’ makes it ‘impracticable to enforce’ US laws in the usual way.

However, Trump has escalated matters further with a sweeping ban on entry from 75 countries, with no clear timeline for when it might end.

Has Donald Trump previously banned countries from entering the US?

Unsurprisingly, it’s not the first time that Trump has banned numerous countries from the US.

In fact, he’s taken several executive actions restricting entry into America by certain foreign nationals.

During his first-term as President, he introduced travel bans which affected seven of the 49 Muslim-majority countries across the world, most of which were subsequently revoked by Joe Biden.

Another travel ban came into effect in June 2025, when he banned a further 12 countries from entering the US.

But this time, the President has escalated his plans to a whole new degree – and, just five months before the start of the FIFA World Cup, which will be jointly hosted this year by America, Canada, and Mexico.

What will this mean?

According to reports, the State Department will stop processing visas for visitors from 75 countries, including some of the world’s top soccer nations.

The pause goes into effect as of January 21, and will ‘remain active until the US can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people.’

Speaking to Forbes, David Bier, a director of immigration studies, said: “This administration has proven itself to have the most anti-legal immigration agenda in American history.

“This action will ban nearly half of all legal immigrants to the United States, turning away about 315,000 legal immigrants over the next year alone.”

However, the US has stated that the visa suspensions will not apply to visitors coming to the country for the World Cup.

What countries are banned?

The full list includes war-torn nations, US allies, and countries with long-standing migration ties to America, such as Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Myanmar, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, The Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, North Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, and Yemen.

According to the government, the freeze targets applicants that officials deem likely to become a ‘public charge’ – people who they believe may rely on government benefits.

The State Department further confirmed that the visa suspension will not apply to temporary tourist or business visas, only immigration visas.