Caribbean nations included on draft US travel ban proposal

According to a report by The New York Times, the Trump administration is considering a new travel ban that would affect several Caribbean nations.

The proposed travel ban includes a “red list” of countries whose citizens would be completely barred from entering the United States and an “orange list” where visas would be severely restricted.

Among the Caribbean nations mentioned in the report, Cuba was placed on the red list, meaning all travel would be banned. The restrictions on Cuba align with the U.S. visa policy announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which aims to penalize current or former Cuban government officials and foreign officials deemed complicit in Cuba’s labor export program. “The United States is expanding its Cuba-related visa restriction policy… to hold accountable those responsible for or complicit in the exploitation of Cuban workers,” Rubio stated on February 25, 2025.

Several Caribbean leaders, including Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley and St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, made it clear that they are willing to sacrifice their U.S. visas to keep the Cuban medical missions.