Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Further Restricts and Limits the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States

The White House, December 16, 2025

STRENGTHENING NATIONAL SECURITY THROUGH COMMON SENSE RESTRICTIONS BASED ON DATA:

Today, President Donald J. Trump signed a Proclamation expanding and strengthening entry restrictions on nationals from countries with demonstrated, persistent, and severe deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information-sharing to protect the Nation from national security and public safety threats.

… (The proclamation) adds partial restrictions and entry limitations on 15 additional countries: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe ….

…Tonga: According to the Overstay Report, Tonga had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 6.45 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 14.44 percent….

read … Full Announcement

AP: Trump expands travel restrictions to 20 more countries | AP News

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SENATOR JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE DENOUNCES FED TRAVEL BAN

News Release from Office of Sen Jarrett Keohokalole, Dec 17, 2025

HONOLULU – This morning, the federal administration announced an expansion of travel bans to an additional 20 countries, including Tonga.

These bans, set to go into effect January 1st, restrict who may travel to or immigrate to the United States and represent yet another harmful and discriminatory federal policy targeting communities of color. “I strongly denounce the inclusion of Tonga on this list,” said Senator Keohokalole (District 24 - Kāne‘ohe, Kailua), Chair of Commerce and Consumer Protection.

Hawaiʻi has deep genealogical, cultural, and familial ties to Tonga and the greater Pacific region. The decision to place Tonga on the federal travel ban list unjustly targets Pacific Island communities and sends a chilling message to Polynesians both abroad and here at home.

Beyond restricting lawful travel, these federal actions further embolden Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) practices that disproportionately impact communities of color. Expanded enforcement authority enables racial and ethnic profiling based on appearance, language, occupation, or location. Senator Keohokalole states, “this policy opens the door to broad based racial profiling of all Pacific Islanders and is deeply troubling.”

The consequences of such policies are not hypothetical. Hawaiʻi has already experienced the trauma of aggressive immigration enforcement, including the ICE raid on Maui in which approximately ten Filipino teachers working legally were temporarily detained. In addition, a teacher who is a US citizen was also temporarily detained. These actions instilled fear throughout immigrant communities and disrupted families, schools, and workplaces.

“The expansion of the travel ban is as a political distraction, diverting attention from real homeland security concerns like human trafficking, drug smuggling, and organized crime,” Senator Keohokalole said. Singling out Tonga is both unjustified and deeply offensive to the people of Hawaiʻi, where Polynesian identity is foundational.

We reiterate our call for compassion, fairness, and respect for human dignity in federal immigration policy. We urge the federal administration to immediately rescind these bans and pursue immigration policies that reflect America’s values of equality and justice.

ABOUT THE PACIFIC ISLANDS PARLIAMENTS GROUP

The Polynesian Parliaments Group comprised six member countries, including American Samoa, Cook Islands, Niue, Tonga, Tuvalu, and French Polynesia, as well as Wallis and Futuna and Easter Island, both observers of the PPG. The group’s main objectives are to promote Polynesian identity, culture and language, and contribute to a better knowledge of the functioning of the representative institutions. Senator Keohokalole acts as a representative from Hawaiʻi.