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Twelve nations with "hostile attitudes" toward the US are banned by President Trump
Similar to his very contentious "Muslim travel ban" from his first term, President Donald Trump has signed a new travel restriction that limits travel to the United States from 19 nations with "hostile attitudes" or a "significant terrorist presence."
Effective June 9, travel will be fully restricted from 12 nations: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
Partial restrictions will apply to seven others: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
Issuing the presidential proclamation via a video statement on Wednesday, Trump cited Sunday’s firebomb attack on peaceful protesters in Boulder, Colorado, by a man alleged to be an Egyptian citizen in the country on an expired visa, as justification for the ban, saying Americans face “extreme danger” from foreign nationals “who are not properly vetted.”
Lawful permanent residents, athletes traveling for the World Cup and Olympics and those who have already been granted asylum or refugee status are among the limited exceptions to the restrictions.
Others with immediate family member visas, dual citizenship with a non-restricted passport and United Nations and Nato visas are also exempt.
Inclusion of Afghanistan angers those working to resettle
The inclusion of Afghanistan has angered some supporters who have worked to resettle its people. The ban makes exceptions for Afghans on Special Immigrant Visas, generally people who worked most closely with the U.S. government during the two-decade-long war there.
Afghanistan was also one of the largest sources of resettled refugees, with about 14,000 arrivals in a 12-month period through September 2024. Trump suspended refugee resettlement his first day in office.
“To include Afghanistan — a nation whose people stood alongside American service members for 20 years — is a moral disgrace. It spits in the face of our allies, our veterans, and every value we claim to uphold,” said Shawn VanDiver, president and board chairman of #AfghanEvac.
Trump wrote that Afghanistan “lacks a competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents and it does not have appropriate screening and vetting measures.” He also cited its visa overstay rates.
How have the banned countries reacted?
Somalia immediately pledged to work with the U.S. to address security issues.
"Somalia values its longstanding relationship with the United States and stands ready to engage in dialogue to address the concerns raised," Dahir Hassan Abdi, the Somali ambassador to the United States, said in a statement.
Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, a close ally of President Nicolas Maduro, responded on Wednesday evening by describing the U.S. government as fascist and warning Venezuelans of being in the U.S.
"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."
Other countries have yet to respond.
We will bring you the latest updates right here.
19 countries hit by Trump's travel ban and restrictions
Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Wednesday banning the citizens of 12 countries from entering the US, as he looks to crackdown on immigration. "We will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm," the US president said, adding that the list could be revised. These are the countries involved from Africa and Asia:
Elon Musk silent on travel ban despite tweeting all night
The president’s former first buddy, who left his role as a special government employee leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) last week, has had a busy night on X but posted nothing whatsoever about Trump’s latest announcement.
On Tuesday, Musk was highly critical of the president’s “big, beautiful bill,” currently under discussion in the Senate, calling it a “disgusting abomination.”
Here’s a look at how and why the relationship between the two men disintegrated after just four months in power.
Which countries have restricted travel?
The other seven nations facing restrictions on travel to the U.S. from the Trump administration are as follows:
- Burundi
- Cuba
- Laos
- Sierra Leone
- Togo
- Turkmenistan
- Venezuela
Which countries have a hard travel ban?
The 12 nations Trump has imposed a total ban on are as follows:
- Afghanistan
- Burma
- Chad
- The Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Haiti
- Iran
- Libya
- Somalia
- Sudan
- Yemen
Here’s Rich Booth with a closer look.
Donald Trump imposes new travel restrictions on 19 countries
President Donald Trump has signed a new travel ban restricting travel to the U.S. from 19 countries with “hostile attitudes” or a “significant terrorist presence,” a policy reminiscent of the deeply controversial “Muslim travel ban” he introduced during his first term.
Effective June 9, travel will be fully restricted from 12 nations: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
Partial restrictions will apply to seven others: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
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