The U.S. has banned residents from 12 countries from entering the country, echoing a similar set of restrictions imposed during President Donald Trump’s first term in 2017.
Afghanistan, Iran, Haiti, and Somalia are among the countries targeted by the travel ban, which will come into effect on Monday.
A further seven countries have partial bans, including Cuba, Venezuela and Laos.
In a statement, Trump said: “As President, I must act to protect the national security and national interest of the United States and its people.”
Last travel ban
One of Trump’s first executive orders after being sworn in as President in January 2017 was to impose a travel ban on seven countries with majority Muslim populations.
The ban meant the U.S. State Department would not issue visas to people from a particular country.
At the time, the ban faced a series of legal challenges but was largely upheld.
Former U.S. President Joe Biden revoked Trump’s travel ban shortly after taking office in 2021.
New ban
Earlier today, Donald Trump signed a proclamation to impose a travel ban on 12 countries, beginning on Monday. These countries include:
Middle East and Asia: Afghanistan, Iran, Myanmar, and Yemen.
Africa: Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Libya, Somalia and Sudan.
Carribbean: Haiti.
Partial bans
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A further seven countries will have extra restrictions imposed on residents wanting to enter the U.S.
These include Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
Visitors from these countries won’t be able to get an immigrant visa.
Officials will only be able to permit a reduced number of other types of visas, such as a tourist or education visa holders.
Why?
Trump’s order stated there had been inadequate “screening and vetting” of those trying to enter the U.S. from the dozen countries where the ban applies.
It also claimed some foreign nationals were “overstaying their visas”.
The White House listed some exceptions to the ban, including returning U.S. citizens, athletes competing in the World Cup or Olympics, and some visas for those facing religious persecution in Iran.
In a video statement, Trump said: “The recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, has underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country”.
A 45-year-old man was arrested after throwing a handmade flamethrower into a crowd of people who had gathered to call for the release of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas in Gaza. Eight people were injured in the attack.
Federal authorities later said the alleged attacker was an Egyptian national who had been in the U.S. unlawfully since 2022.
Response
Some Democrats have already criticised Trump’s ban, including House of Representatives member from the state of Washington, Pramila Jayapal, who said the move would “further isolate us on the world stage”.
“This discriminatory policy, which limits legal immigration... will be harmful to our economy and our communities,” she said in a post on social media.
Another Democrat, Judy Chu, said: “This goes against our core American values while doing nothing to make us safer.”
