English
Spanish
French
German
Italian
Portuguese
Russian
Chinese (Simplified)
Hindi
Japanese
President Trump signed a proclamation Wednesday barring foreign nationals from 12 countries from entering the US over national security concerns.
“I have determined to fully restrict and limit the entry of nationals of the following 12 countries: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen,” the president wrote in the order.
Additionally, the Trump administration will “partially restrict and limit the entry of nationals” from seven other countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
“These restrictions distinguish between, but apply to both, the entry of immigrants and nonimmigrants,” read the proclamation.
Trump cited Sunday’s antisemitic firebombing attack in Colorado – allegedly carried out by an Egyptian national in the US on an expired tourist visa – as part of the reason for the crackdown.
“The 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, as well as those who come here as temporary visitors and overstay their visas,” the president said in a video discussing the proclamation posted on Truth Social. “We don’t want them.”
The travel ban follows Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order – “Protecting the United States From Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats” – directing Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other Cabinet officials to identify countries “for which vetting and screening information is so deficient” that restrictions are warranted.
“Many of these countries have also taken advantage of the United States in their exploitation of our visa system and their historic failure to accept back their removable nationals,” Trump said of the nations on the list.
The president claimed foreign nationals from the blocked countries “pose significant risks of overstaying their visas,” which strains law enforcement resources and “often exacerbates other risks related to national security and public safety.”
“As President, I must act to protect the national security and national interest of the United States and its people,” Trump added, noting that he remains “committed to engaging with those countries willing to cooperate to improve information-sharing and identity-management procedures, and to address both terrorism-related and public-safety risks.”
The ban is expected to draw significant legal challenges.
Trump issued a similar order just days into his first term banning foreign nationals from several Muslim-majority countries, including Iran, Yemen and Libya, citing terrorism concerns.
Trump later expanded the 2017 order — which almost immediately faced numerous lawsuits — to include Venezuela and North Korea.
The Supreme Court overturned injunctions blocking Trump from implementing the policy and eventually, in 2018, upheld the travel ban.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) the former chair of Congressional Progressive Caucus, slammed Trump’s order as “dangerous.”
“This ban, expanded from Trump’s Muslim ban in his first term, will only further isolate us on the world stage,” Jayapal said in a statement.
“This discriminatory policy, which limits legal immigration, not only flies in the face of what our country is supposed to stand for, it will be harmful to our economy and our communities that rely on the contributions of people who come to America from this wide range of countries,” she continued.
“Banning a whole group of people because you disagree with the structure or function of their government not only lays blame in the wrong place, it creates a dangerous precedent,” the congresswoman added. “Further, banning people fleeing dangerous countries like Afghanistan – a country where many people are in danger due to their work assisting the U.S. military – the Congo, Haiti, and Sudan will only further destabilize global security.”
