Trump's 'third world' travel ban could become permanent if firebrand Republican lawmaker gets her way

FIRST ON FOX: One House Republican is moving forward with efforts to codify President Donald Trump's sweeping travel ban on "third-world" countries.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., will introduce legislation Wednesday that would bar people from 39 countries across the Caribbean, Middle East and Africa from entering the United States, Fox News Digital has learned.

Mace's bill, titled the Third World Immigration Moratorium Act, would also block entry for individuals traveling on Palestinian Authority-issued documents.

The South Carolina lawmaker argued her legislation, which mirrors the list of countries facing full or partial bans under the Trump administration, is necessary because many immigrants from the affected countries have failed to assimilate into American life.

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"For too long, Washington has looked the other way while bad actors exploited every gap in our system and American families paid the price. Those days are over," Mace said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital on her upcoming legislation. "If you import the third world, you will become the third world."

"This bill makes crystal clear: entry into the United States is a privilege, not a right," she continued. "We make absolutely no apologies for defending it."

Countries that would face travel restrictions include Afghanistan, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gabon, Gambia, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Venezuela, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The proposal comes after the Trump administration resurrected a travel ban on 12 countries in June 2025 after an Egyptian national was charged with carrying out a deadly firebombing attack in Boulder, Colo., on demonstrators calling for the release of hostages in Gaza.

Trump later moved to expand the list by more than double after an Afghan national fatally shot 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, a member of the West Virginia National Guard, and severely injured U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe in Washington, D.C., 25, in November.

The president argued the move was necessary to protect national security and guard against visa overstays after both perpetrators were in the country illegally after overstaying their visas. 

Many of the countries on the travel ban list are among the poorest in the world and have struggled with instability and terrorism.

Iran and Cuba — both longtime U.S. adversaries — are also among the countries targeted by the proposal. 

Mace's legislation would exempt several categories of travelers, including lawful permanent residents, dual nationals using passports from countries not subject to the restrictions, diplomats, NATO personnel, athletes participating in major international competitions, special immigrant visa recipients who assisted U.S. forces and some people fleeing ethnic or religious persecution in Iran.

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Under Mace’s bill, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary would possess the authority to grant case-by-case waivers if admitting an individual is determined to be in the nation's "critical interest."

But the legislation is likely to face an uphill battle in the House amid expected opposition from Democrats and some Republicans who support legal immigration from several of the countries on her list.

Earlier this year, a handful of Republicans joined Democrats in voting to extend Temporary Protected Status for Haitians despite the Trump administration's opposition. Some Republicans have also defended legal immigration for people from Cuba, Venezuela and other countries subject to the travel ban and often used as proxies of other foreign powers.

Mace previously introduced legislation that would bar naturalized citizens from serving in most of the federal government, including in Congress and as federal judges.

Wednesday’s legislation comes as Mace weighs her political future.

The Republican firebrand is serving the final months of her House term after losing her bid for South Carolina governor earlier this year.

She has floated running in a fast-approaching primary election to succeed the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died unexpectedly late Saturday evening.