Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation banning nationals from 12 countries from entering the United States, citing the need to protect the nation from foreign terrorists and security threats. The travel restrictions, which will take effect on June 9, 2025, apply to citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
In addition, partial travel restrictions will be imposed on individuals from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. The decision, first reported by CBS News, was confirmed by a video statement posted by Trump on social media, where he emphasized that the list could be revised in the future.
Trump said the affected nations were determined to harbor a "large-scale presence of terrorists," fail to cooperate with U.S. visa security protocols, and lack adequate systems to verify traveler identities or maintain criminal records.
The order will not revoke visas issued before the effective date. Trump also cited a recent incident in Colorado involving an Egyptian national charged in a pro-Israel rally attack as evidence of the need for tighter restrictions, even though Egypt is not on the list.
This travel ban is the latest move in Trump's broader immigration crackdown during his second term, following a previous travel ban during his first presidency that targeted several Muslim-majority countries and was later repealed by President Joe Biden in 2021.
The directive has already drawn responses from several affected nations. Somalia expressed willingness to engage in dialogue with the U.S., while Venezuela criticized the decision, calling it fascist and warning its citizens of risks in the United States.
The order follows a January 2025 executive action mandating stricter security vetting for all foreign entrants and tasked several cabinet officials with identifying countries with deficient screening capabilities.
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