On Tuesday, President Trump expanded his administration’s travel ban, broadening the restrictions to include several additional countries and regions. This move intensifies the existing travel limitations, now affecting individuals from Syria and the Palestinian territories.

The updated proclamation enforces “full restrictions and entry limitations” on travelers from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria. Those holding travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority are also subject to these new restrictions.

In addition, the administration has implemented partial entry restrictions on travelers from 15 nations that were not previously targeted by the travel ban. These countries are Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Furthermore, stricter limitations have been placed on Laos and Sierra Leone, which were already under partial restrictions as part of the existing travel ban policy.

It’s important to note that these travel restrictions do not apply to lawful permanent residents, current visa holders, and certain visa categories, including those for athletes and diplomats.

Trump in June signed an initial travel ban targeting 12 countries: Afghanistan, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. The entry restrictions on those countries remain in effect, the White House said.

Immigration groups blasted Tuesday’s move, noting it comes on the heels of a series of actions from Trump further restricting immigration and barring migrants from moving forward with their cases. 

“Subjecting more people to this policy is especially harmful given the administration’s recent invocation of the travel ban to prevent immigrants already living in the United States from accessing basic immigration benefits, including pulling them out of line at citizenship ceremonies. The expanded proclamation notably includes Palestinians and eliminates some exceptions to the original ban,” the International Refugee Assistance Project said in a statement.

“This racist and xenophobic ban will keep families apart.”

The administration has said the travel restrictions are a matter of national security, arguing that countries can get off the list if they improve vetting procedures or work with the U.S. For example, Tuesday’s proclamation lifts a ban on nonimmigrant visas for those from Turkmenistan, citing “significant progress” since the last iteration of a travel ban.

“The administration is once again using the language of security to justify blanket exclusions that punish entire populations, rather than utilizing individualized, evidence-based screening,” said Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Global Refuge. “This move significantly expands the scope of the original travel ban, ensnaring families, students, workers, and people fleeing violence – many of whom have longstanding ties to the United States.”

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem earlier this month previewed that the administration intended to expand the scope of the travel ban to cover more than 30 countries. 

Her remarks came in the wake of a shooting in Washington of two National Guard members. The accused shooter is an Afghan native, and the incident sparked calls from Trump and other Republicans who pushed to further restrict the entry of foreign nationals into the U.S.

Trump has sought to drastically reduce the number of immigrants and refugees who can enter the U.S. since taking office.

The administration has already paused all pending asylum applications for those from across the globe seeking refuge in the U.S. Trump last month set the refugee cap to its lowest level in history, allowing the U.S. to admit just 7,500 refugees — down from the 125,000 cap set under Biden.

Updated at 6 p.m. EST