President Trump announced a new travel ban affecting foreign nationals from 12 countries, along with partial restrictions for seven others, set to take effect on Monday, June 9.
The President emphasized that this measure was vital for national security and reinforced his campaign promise to revive the first-term travel ban he had initially implemented for Muslim-majority nations.
In a statement made in the Oval Office, Trump remarked, “We want to get them out. We want to get them out now. We don’t want to have other bad people coming into our country.”
According to the White House, the countries included in the travel ban were deemed to lack adequate screening and vetting capabilities.
The complete travel ban applies to citizens from Afghanistan, Myanmar (Burma), Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
In contrast, the partial travel ban targets individuals from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela, marking a clear distinction in the level of restrictions imposed.
Trump shared that he signed the measure in a video statement released on Wednesday evening. He pointed to a recent firebombing attack in Boulder, Colorado, as a key reason for the urgency of the ban.
“Right now, we want to focus on how to keep our nation safe. The individual charged in that attack is from Egypt, a nation not included in the travel ban,” he stated.
When questioned about the absence of Egypt from the list, Trump clarified, “Egypt has been a country that we deal with very closely. They have things under control. The countries that we have [on the travel ban list] don’t have things under control.”
Critics have raised concerns regarding the impact of the ban on vulnerable populations.
Shawn VanDiver from #AfghanEvac, a nonprofit organization dedicated to aiding in the resettlement of Afghans in the U.S., noted that while there is an exception for special immigrant visas for those who worked for or alongside the U.S. government, many Afghans with pending cases—particularly family members—will still be prevented from reaching safety despite their loyalty and prior vetting.
This new travel ban stems from an executive order Trump signed during his first day back in the White House, aimed at assessing the countries requiring full or partial suspension due to insufficient screening and vetting information.
Additionally, Trump expressed intentions to evaluate the number of people admitted from these countries during the Biden administration, potentially to retroactively suspend their visas.
On the campaign trail, Trump labeled his earlier travel ban as exceptionally effective in thwarting potential terrorism attacks.
After Trump’s presidency, former President Joe Biden rescinded the travel ban on the day he was inaugurated in January 2021.
The original travel ban has a complex background that traces back to Trump’s presidential campaign. In December 2015, Trump called for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.”
After taking office, on January 27, 2017, he signed an executive order that prohibited travel from seven predominantly Muslim countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen, specifying a temporary measure lasting 90 days.
The backlash was immediate; airports experienced chaos, and protests erupted as individuals holding valid visas were detained.
While Trump’s executive order did not explicitly mention Muslims, critics argued that it was marketed as such during his campaign, leading to significant legal challenges.
The Trump administration attempted minor revisions, which included dropping Iraq from the list and allowing exceptions for green card holders and individuals with pre-existing visas, but courts also struck down the revised version.
This latest ban marks a return to the controversial policies from Trump’s earlier administration, igniting discussions around its implications for national security and humanitarian considerations.
image source from：https://www.npr.org/2025/06/04/nx-s1-5423787/trump-travel-ban
