President Donald Trump targeted 12 countries with a new travel ban, with seven more countries facing restricted travel.
Nationals of Afghanistan, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen will be barred from entering the United States under the new order, which goes into effect on June 9.
Citizens of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela will be partially restricted from traveling, removing access to all immigrant visas and several non-immigrant travel options.
Trump also issued a warning that Egypt could soon join the no-fly list in the wake of the Colorado terror attack in which an Egyptian national who overstayed his visa allegedly set fire to pro-Israel demonstrators.
‘We don’t want ’em,’ Trump said bluntly in a video released shortly after the ban was announced.
‘Very simply, we cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen.’
The White House offered a range of reasons of why these countries were targeted: saying these countries have lax screening of travelers, have a ‘significant terrorist presence,’ and their government wasn’t cooperative enough in accepting deported citizens or residents who were prone to overstaying their visas in the United States.
In his first term, Trump tried to bar travelers from seven mostly Muslim-majority countries.
Five of those countries are on the new list: Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
Exceptions will be made for lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders, certain visa categories and individuals whose entry is deemed to serve U.S. national interests.
The order is expected to draw legal challenges.
Only two of the 19 countries are on the US government’s State Sponsors of Terrorism list – Iran, which has a full ban, and Cuba, which has partial travel restrictions.
President Donald Trump is banning visitors from 12 countries from entering the United States and partially restricted access to travelers from seven other nations
During his first term in office, Trump announced a ban on travelers from seven majority-Muslim nations, a policy that went through several iterations before it was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.
Former President Joe Biden, a Democrat who succeeded Trump, repealed the ban in 2021, calling it ‘a stain on our national conscience.’
But Trump touted the successes of his initial 2017 travel bans in his proclamation.
‘During my first Administration, I restricted the entry of foreign nationals into the United States, which successfully prevented national security threats from reaching our borders and which the Supreme Court upheld,’ the president wrote.
‘It is the policy of the United States to protect its citizens from aliens who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten our national security, espouse hateful ideology, or otherwise exploit the immigration laws for malevolent purposes.
‘The United States must be vigilant during the visa-issuance process to ensure that those aliens approved for admission into the United States do not intend to harm Americans or our national interests.
‘More importantly, the United States must identify such aliens before their admission or entry into the United States.
‘The United States must ensure that admitted aliens and aliens otherwise already present in the United States do not bear hostile attitudes toward its citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles, and do not advocate for, aid, or support designated foreign terrorists or other threats to our national security.’
Trump said the list is ‘subject to revision’ if nations work toward improving the vetting system of their nationals.
Similarly, other nations can be added to the list if Trump later believes they pose a risk to national security.
But as it stands, the nations included on the list have disappointed Trump in various ways, either by having a high rate of nationals who overstay their visas or by limiting the United States’ access to security data.
The primary concern for Iranian nationals is that the government ‘is a state sponsor of terrorism.’
In that instance, Trump argued ‘Iran regularly fails to cooperate with the United States Government in identifying security risks, is the source of significant terrorism around the world, and has historically failed to accept back its removable nationals.’
Similarly, the inclusion of Somalia comes after ‘The United States Government identified Somalia as a terrorist safe haven.
‘Terrorists use regions of Somalia as safe havens from which they plan, facilitate, and conduct their operations.’
Haitian nationals, Trump argued, have a higher likelihood of trying to overstay their visas.
‘Additionally, hundreds of thousands of illegal Haitian aliens flooded into the United States during the Biden Administration,’ the president said.
‘This influx harms American communities by creating acute risks of increased overstay rates, establishment of criminal networks, and other national security threats.’
During the run-up to the election, thousands of Haitian migrants who had moved to Springfield, Ohio drew the ire of President Trump, who claimed that some of them were even eating pets.
Afghan refugees hold placards during their meeting to discuss situation after President Donald Trump paused the U.S. refugee programs
Vehicles drive past the American Center in Yangon, Myanmar, after President Donald Trump signed his travel ban
Eritrea, for example, has been included on the list because ‘the United States questions the competence of the central authority for issuance of passports or civil documents in Eritrea.’
Trump wrote: ‘Criminal records are not available to the United States for Eritrean nationals. Eritrea has historically refused to accept back its removable nationals.’
Trump added that ‘many of these countries have also taken advantage of the United States in their exploitation of our visa system and their historic failure to accept back their removable nationals.’
Trump said the decision was made in collaboration with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency John Ratcliffe.
For the seven nations who have had their access to the United States severely restricted, Trump has clarified that authorities will no longer accept any immigrant visa applications.
Additionally, a host of nonimmigrant visa options will be revoked, and those that remain will have ‘reduced validity… to the extent permitted by law.’
Looking ahead to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Trump has already added a clause in his proclamation which states: ‘Any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event’ will be exempt.
