United States President Donald Trump has signed a new proclamation enforcing a broad travel ban on people from 12 countries, with the restrictions set to take effect from 12:01 a.m. Monday. The move marks a return to a contentious policy from his first term. Under the new order, citizens from these countries will be barred from entering the United States: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
In addition to the full ban, the administration will impose partial restrictions on travellers from seven other countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. "I must act to protect the national security and national interest of the United States and its people," Trump said in the proclamation signed Wednesday night.
The list of targeted countries stems from a January 20 executive order in which Trump directed the departments of State and Homeland Security, along with the Director of National Intelligence, to assess “hostile attitudes” toward the US and determine whether entry from certain nations posed a security risk.
Similar to Trump’s 2017 'Muslim ban'
The move closely mirrors Trump’s 2017 executive order, often referred to as the "Muslim ban", which initially barred entry to citizens of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. That order sparked chaos at airports, with travellers—including students, academics, businesspeople, and tourists—detained or turned away upon arrival. Legal challenges forced the administration to revise the order multiple times before the Supreme Court upheld a version in 2018.
That version affected travellers and immigrants from Iran, Somalia, Yemen, Syria and Libya, along with North Korea and some Venezuelan government officials and their families.
While Trump and his allies have maintained that the travel bans are grounded in national security concerns, critics continue to argue that the policies disproportionately target Muslim-majority countries and reflect discriminatory intent. During his 2016 campaign, Trump had openly called for a “total and complete shutdown” of Muslims entering the United States.
(With inputs from AP)
