US considering expanding travel ban to 36 more countries: Reports

The United States is evaluating the possibility of broadening existing travel restrictions, potentially adding citizens from 36 additional countries to a growing list of nations facing US entry bans, as per reports. 

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump signed a proclamation barring entry to citizens of 12 countries, citing the need to bolster national security and protect against foreign terrorist threats. 

According to the internal State Department cable reportedly signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio the administration has identified a group of countries that could face full or partial suspensions of entry if they fail to meet specific security and documentation standards within 60 days.

The list of nations that reportedly may face new restrictions includes Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Egypt, Ethiopia, 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.

If enacted, this would mark a substantial expansion of the travel ban that took effect earlier in the month, which initially applied to Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.