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Sierra Leone Among Countries Hit by New U.S. Travel Restrictions

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Sierra Leone is among nearly 20 countries affected by sweeping new travel restrictions announced by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who signed an executive order on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, aimed at tightening immigration and protecting what he called the “national security and national interest” of the United States.

The order imposes outright travel bans on citizens from 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.

In addition to the bans, citizens of Sierra Leone, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela will face heightened scrutiny and restrictions when applying for U.S. visas. While not a full ban, these new measures significantly limit the ability of citizens from these nations to travel to the U.S.

In a video message released by the White House, Trump justified the move by saying: “I must act to protect the national security and national interest of the United States and its people.”

The decision follows concerns raised by the U.S. government about the misuse of American visas by Sierra Leonean travelers. Speaking in a recent interview with local media, U.S. Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Bryant D. Hunt, said the U.S. is increasingly alarmed by high visa overstay rates among Sierra Leoneans.

“Fifteen percent of Sierra Leoneans who travel on tourist and business visas overstay,” Ambassador Hunt revealed. “Even more concerning, 35 percent of those who travel on student visas remain in the United States illegally.”

He added that the U.S. government views these figures as unsustainable. “This cannot continue. We need to see Sierra Leoneans using their visas in accordance with U.S. law, which means no overstaying and no working on a tourist visa. This is a top priority for the current U.S. administration.”

Ambassador Hunt warned of possible further consequences if visa compliance does not improve. “If visa compliance does not improve, we will explore a full range of options to secure the visa process. We cannot tolerate the high visa overstay rate. Therefore, there will continue to be a high visa refusal rate for Sierra Leoneans applying for visas to the United States until the overstay rates decrease.”

The executive order and ambassador’s remarks are expected to draw concern from Sierra Leonean citizens and officials alike, particularly students, business professionals, and families with ties in the U.S., who may now face additional hurdles in their travel plans.

As of press time, the Sierra Leonean government has not issued an official response to the new U.S. policy.

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