African beauty queens likely to miss Miss Universe pageant as Trump's travel bans bite
NAIROBI — Leading African beauty queens fear they could be left out of this year’s Miss Universe competition in Puerto Rico as they race to secure US visas after President Donald Trump restricted entry for citizens of dozens of foreign countries.
Roseanna Hall, who is set to represent Zimbabwe in the 75th edition of the international pageant, said this week she was struggling to get the necessary authorization to travel to the United States to take part in the competition.
“Today is the day that I was supposed to be leaving for Puerto Rico ... but unfortunately, due to the partial ban on Zimbabwe and other nations by the United States, we have been back and forth trying to get my visa approved,” she said.
"We have been back and forth, trying to get my visa approved," Hall said in a video posted on her Instagram page.
Hall is not the only African contestant to be affected by the restrictions. Zambia has withdrawn its representative, Pamela Mubanga, from the competition because of US travel restrictions.
Contestants began arriving in Puerto Rico on 8 November for registration, with the winner set to be crowned on 24 November, putting pressure on Hall, and others, including the representative from South Sudan, to secure their visas.
Zimbabwe is among 19 countries subject to partial US travel restrictions introduced under the Presidential Proclamation 10998, which took effect on 1 January 2026.
The measures suspend the issuance of visitor, student and exchange visas, as well as immigrant visas, to nationals of the affected countries. They also impose restrictions on other categories of non-immigrant visas.
In a statement, the Miss Universe organization in Zambia said Mubanga's situation was a consequence of the travel restrictions rather than individual circumstances.
"Unlike situations where a contestant's visa is denied due to personal circumstances, documentation or organisational challenges, Mubanga's situation is linked to the United States' presidential travel restriction affecting Zambia and other African countries," the statement read.
Mubanga, 25, a registered nurse, was crowned Miss Universe Zambia on 8 October and was due to represent the country at the international pageant.
The statement said five other African countries faced similar difficulties, although it did not name them.
Hall said she shared their concerns, adding that she had spent the past few weeks in South Africa trying to secure her visa.
"I am not alone in this predicament. Some of my African sisters are facing the same predicament, and I know exactly what they are going through," she said.
Miss Universe South Sudan also expressed uncertainty about her participation, commenting on Hall's video: "It is 50/50 whether we will make it, Miss Universe."
In another video posted three days earlier, Hall said she was still hoping to make it to Puerto Rico.
She captioned the video: "The fight to get Zimbabwe to Puerto Rico continues,"
The pageant's final is scheduled to take place at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan.
