In a move that echoes one of the most controversial policies from his first term, President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation imposing a travel ban on nationals from twelve countries, including Afghanistan, Haiti, and the Republic of Congo. This reinstatement of travel restrictions is framed by Trump as a necessary measure to bolster national security and combat terrorism.
The proclamation, issued Wednesday, details the nations affected by the travel ban, which primarily targets African and Asian countries. Trump stated, “As President, I must act to protect the national security and national interest of the United States and its people.”
The twelve countries that face outright bans from entering the United States are Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
According to Trump’s proclamation, several of these countries have routinely declined to accept the repatriation of their nationals, alongside visa overstay rates deemed “unacceptable” and indicative of a disregard for U.S. immigration laws.
Additionally, countries like Sudan, Yemen, and Somalia were included due to their inadequate screening and vetting processes, contributing to the rationale behind the travel ban.
Alongside the outright bans, seven additional countries are under partial travel restrictions, permitting entry into the U.S. only under select visa programs. The countries facing these partial restrictions are Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
Exceptions have been made for lawful permanent residents of the United States, Afghan Special Immigrant Visa holders, individuals with diplomatic visas, immediate family members of immigrant visa holders, and specific cases involving ethnic and religious minorities in Iran. Additional allowances include adoptions, dual nationals with passports from unrestricted countries, and athletes traveling for the World Cup or the Olympics.
The travel restrictions are set to be implemented at 12:01 a.m. ET on Monday. However, experts underline the likelihood that these restrictions could further exacerbate already tense geopolitical relations, especially given Trump’s administration’s previous fiscal decisions, including tariffs and cuts to humanitarian aid.
In a video shared by the White House on the same day, Trump underscored the importance of the travel restrictions as part of safeguarding against major foreign terror attacks on American soil. He alluded to a recent incident in Boulder, Colorado, where a man injured several demonstrators in an antisemitic attack, using it as a pretext for the renewed travel ban.
“A recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado has underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted,” Trump stated, emphasizing the need for immediate action.
The perpetrator of the Boulder attack, identified as Mohamed Sabry Soliman from Egypt, entered the U.S. on a tourist visa before seeking asylum, though his visa expired while his case was pending. Notably, Egypt is not included among the nations affected by the new travel restrictions.
Soliman’s family was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and began undergoing processing for removal. A judge subsequently intervened to prevent the deportation of Soliman’s wife and five children.
In his proclamation, Trump also indicated that his administration considered a variety of factors, including the “large-scale presence of terrorists, failure to cooperate on visa security, inability to verify travelers’ identities, inadequate record-keeping of criminal histories, and persistently high rates of illegal visa overstays” when determining the countries to face these bans.
However, critics are quick to highlight that according to Alex Nowrasteh, vice president for economic and social policy studies at the Cato Institute, terrorists from the countries on the ban list are exceedingly rare. According to Nowrasteh, from 1975 to the end of 2024, the annual likelihood of an American being killed by a terrorist from one of the banned nations is approximately 1 in 13.9 billion.
These renewed travel restrictions mark a return to one of the most polarizing policies of Trump’s presidency, a similar travel ban enacted in 2017 that was ultimately upheld by the Supreme Court. Trump announced this latest travel ban by echoing sentiments from his previous term, labeling his 2017 travel ban as one of his “most successful policies.”
During his first term, Trump imposed bans on travelers from six Muslim-majority nations, citing terrorism as the primary concern. The 2017 executive order faced significant backlash from the Democratic Party and numerous legal challenges, though the Supreme Court determined that Trump’s authority extends to regulating immigration as part of national security.
Chief Justice John Roberts affirmed that the president holds the power to block foreign nationals from entering the country if there are justifiable concerns regarding national interests. In stark contrast, Justice Sonia Sotomayor contended that the evidence indicated the proclamation stemmed from anti-Muslim motivations.
Of the twelve countries included in Trump’s latest travel ban, Iran, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen are the only countries that also appeared in Trump’s previous ban.
The restrictions remained in effect until January 20, 2021, when President Biden signed a proclamation reversing them, aiming to end what he termed “Discriminatory Bans on Entry to The United States.”
For years, Trump has openly expressed a preference for European immigrants, making derogatory remarks about immigration from Haiti and African nations. This sentiment was prominently displayed during a 2018 White House meeting in which Trump referred to certain nations as “shithole” countries.
Additionally, during Trump’s second term in office, he limited refugee admissions from numerous countries, including Afghanistan, Sudan, the Republic of Congo, and Myanmar. However, he did grant refugee status to a specific group of 59 South Africans from the white ethnic group that ruled South Africa during apartheid, drawing criticism for selectively applying refugee policies.
In a related development, the Supreme Court authorized the Trump administration recently to revoke the temporary legal status of over 500,000 immigrants previously allowed entry under the Biden administration, subjecting them to potential deportation. These individuals predominantly hailed from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
Moreover, earlier this year, the Trump administration ended the extension of Haiti’s Temporary Protected Status, following Biden’s administration’s decision to extend it until 2026 due to ongoing violence and political instability in the region. Similar actions have also been taken against Venezuelans who entered the U.S. under protective measures.
As the proclamation takes effect, these developments signal a larger trend of restrictive immigration policies associated with the current administration, as the national conversation around immigration, security, and humanitarian issues continues to unfold.
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