The U.S. State Department announced it will permanently implement a visa bond program requiring applicants from 50 countries—predominantly African nations, plus Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal—to post bonds of up to $20,000 when seeking B1/B2 visas. The program, which transitions from a pilot initiative, takes effect August 3, 2026.
The Trump administration announced it is preventing American citizens in the Democratic Republic of Congo from traveling directly to the U.S. on commercial flights, requiring them to spend 21 days elsewhere first. The decision follows an Ebola outbreak that has caused at least 1,830 confirmed cases and 648 deaths in Congo, including one confirmed case involving a U.S. citizen working for a humanitarian organization.
President Donald Trump signed into law a nearly $70 billion immigration enforcement package that will fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol through 2029, the end of his second term. The reconciliation legislation passed narrowly in the House on Tuesday.
Fans from Senegal and Ivory Coast will be unable to attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches in the United States after both countries were added to a travel ban imposed by the Trump administration in December. The ban affects supporters of two qualified African nations less than five months before the tournament begins.
