In order to safeguard against “foreign terrorists” and other security risks, U.S. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Wednesday that prohibited nationals of 12 nations from entering the country.
The order is a part of Trump’s immigration crackdown, which began this year at the beginning of his second term and has included efforts to deport some foreign students and deny enrollment to others, as well as the deportation of hundreds of Venezuelans suspected of being gang members to El Salvador.
Which countries are affected by Trump’s new travel ban?
Myanmar, Afghanistan, Congo, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Eritrea, Haiti, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, and Yemen are among the nations that are impacted by the most recent travel restrictions. There will be limited restrictions on entrance for citizens of seven other nations: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
Trump stated, “We will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm,” in a video that was uploaded to X. According to him, additional nations might be included, and the list could be updated. On June 9, 2025, the proclamation will go into effect. According to the directive, visas granted before that date would not be cancelled.
"We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen… That is why today I am signing a new executive order placing travel restrictions on countries including Yemen, Somalia, Haiti, Libya, and numerous others." –President Trump pic.twitter.com/ER7nGM4TO2
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 4, 2025
Why is the travel ban being introduced again now?
Trump declared a travel ban on citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries during his first term in office. The policy underwent many revisions until the Supreme Court affirmed it in 2018. The ban on citizens of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen was lifted in 2021 by former President Joe Biden, a Democrat who replaced Trump, who described it as “a stain on our national conscience.”
According to Trump, the nations with the strictest restrictions were found to have a “large-scale presence of terrorists,” are unable to work together on visa security, have poor criminal history records, have high rates of visa overstays in the US, and are unable to authenticate travelers.
“We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen those who seek to enter the United States,”
Trump stated.
In an October 2023 address, Trump, who ran on a platform of severe border policies, promised to bar individuals from the Gaza Strip, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, and “anywhere else that threatens our security.” On January 20, Trump signed an executive order mandating that all foreign nationals applying for entry into the United States undergo more thorough security screening in order to identify potential national security risks.
What role did the Colorado attack play in policy?
He pointed to the Boulder, Colorado, incident on Sunday, where a man threw a gasoline bomb into a group of pro-Israel protesters, as evidence of the necessity for the additional limitations. Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian national, has been accused of carrying out the attack. Although Egypt is not on the list of nations with travel restrictions, federal officials claimed that Soliman had overstayed his vacation visa and had an expired work authorization.
How did affected nations respond to the ban?
Somalia promised right away to cooperate with the United States on security-related matters. “Somalia stands ready to engage in dialogue to address the concerns raised,” stated Somali ambassador to the United States Dahir Hassan Abdi in a statement. “Somalia values its longstanding relationship with the United States.”
Diosdado Cabello, the interior minister of Venezuela and a close friend of President Nicolas Maduro, replied Wednesday night by calling the U.S. administration fascist and cautioning Venezuelans about traveling to the United States. “The truth is being in the United States is a big risk for anybody, not just for Venezuelans … They persecute our countrymen, our people for no reason.”
A request for response was not immediately answered by a spokesman for the Afghan foreign ministry, which is run by the Taliban. A request for comment on how Pakistan would deal with the hundreds of Afghans who were waiting in Islamabad and were in line for resettlement in the United States was not immediately answered by the country’s foreign ministry. The spokeswoman for Myanmar’s military administration did not return calls early Thursday.
