Credit: Alamy
President Donald Trump Bans Travel To The U.S. From 12 Countries
President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation to ban people from 12 countries from entering the United States, following months of rumors.
The 78-year-old says the move has been made to protect the U.S. from ‘foreign terrorists.’
“We will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm,” the President posted in a video on X, formerly Twitter.
He also confirmed the list could still change, with new countries being added to it.
The new proclamation comes into effect on June 9, 2025, at 12:01 a.m. EDT.
Trump has confirmed that any visas issued before that date will not be revoked or reversed.
This isn’t the first time the President has instigated a travel ban.
During his first term, Trump announced a ban on seven Muslim-majority nations.
Despite many appeals, the ban was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.
Joe Biden eventually repealed the ban in 2021, going as far as to call it ‘a stain on our national conscience.’
Trump said the banned countries harbor a ‘large-scale presence of terrorists.’
He also said they fail to meet visa security guidelines and are unable to verify travelers’ identities.
The President said people from these countries also have high rates of visa overstays in the United States.
“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 said.
He had first mentioned a potential ban during his campaign speech in October 2023, pledging to restrict people from the Gaza Strip, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and ‘anywhere else that threatens our security.’
Trump quoted the attack which took place against pro-Israel protestors in Boulder, Colorado, at the weekend, as an example of why he was bringing this rule in.
An Egyptian national, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, has been charged after a gasoline bomb was thrown into the crowd.
It was later discovered he had overstayed his tourist visa and had an expired work permit.
Egypt is not one of the countries facing a travel ban.
The African Union has called on Trump to repeal the ban in a statement: “The African Union Commission respectfully calls upon the U.S. administration to consider adopting a more consultative approach and to engage in constructive dialogue with the countries concerned.”
Representatives from Somalia and Venezuela have also spoken out.
“Somalia values its longstanding relationship with the United States and stands ready to engage in dialogue to address the concerns raised,” said Somali ambassador Dahir Hassan Abdi.
Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello warned: “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.”
The countries affected are Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
People from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela will be partially restricted.
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