Trump’s new travel ban on African nations raises questions over inconsistent criteria

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US President Donald Trump’s latest expansion of his travel ban list, announced on Wednesday, adds seven new African countries — Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Libya, Somalia, the Republic of Congo and Sudan. But the inclusion of these nations, scattered across the continent with little else in common, has prompted fresh scrutiny over the criteria used to select them, the New York Times reported.

In announcing the ban, Trump cited “significant terrorist presence,” high visa overstay rates, and lack of cooperation in repatriating deported nationals as key factors. Yet a closer look shows the application of those metrics appears inconsistent.

Terror threat claims do not fully align with list

Countries such as Chad, Somalia and Sudan do face ongoing terrorist threats. But so do Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso — three countries in West Africa where military juntas have seized power and jihadist violence has surged. None of those nations, however, were included in the ban.

Meanwhile, some of the banned countries, such as Equatorial Guinea and the Republic of Congo, do not have significant active terrorist groups operating within their borders.

Visa overstay rates questioned

Another justification offered was visa overstays. According to Homeland Security data from 2023, visitors from Chad, Equatorial Guinea and Republic of Congo did indeed have very high overstay rates — 49%, 33% and 30% respectively. But the total numbers involved were low: just over 5,000 people from the seven newly banned countries overstayed their visas last year.

By contrast, Jamaica — which is not on the list — had more than twice as many overstayers on business and tourist visas alone. And countries such as Nigeria and Ghana regularly see thousands of overstays annually, yet they too avoided the ban.

Further inconsistencies are apparent: Djibouti (23% overstay rate) and Liberia (19%) were not banned, while Somalia — whose overstay rate was 11% — was included.

Adding to the picture, many wealthier nations with visa-free entry to the U.S. account for a large share of overstays. In 2023, more than 98,000 people from countries benefiting from the U.S. visa waiver program overstayed the 90-day limit, mainly from Western Europe and the Asia-Pacific.

Critics warn of unfair targeting of entire nations

Analysts have voiced concern that the Trump administration’s latest move disproportionately punishes entire countries for the actions of a few individuals. Bright Simons, a policy expert at Ghana’s IMANI think tank, said: “The administration appears to be punishing whole countries for the sins of a minority.”

Simons added that governments have limited means to prevent citizens from overstaying visas abroad, and suggested the U.S. adopt mechanisms such as visa bonds to hold individual travellers accountable, rather than impose blanket bans that create “national stigma.”

No clear pattern in the selection

Ultimately, the criteria behind the new travel ban appear selective. Many countries with higher overstay numbers or serious terrorism issues were spared, while others with weaker links to the stated concerns were targeted. The move comes amid broader efforts by the Trump administration to tighten immigration restrictions — and is likely to fuel further debate over how those policies are being applied.