A sweeping new travel restriction, signed into effect by President Donald Trump on Wednesday evening, is set to significantly curb entry to the United States for nationals from 19 countries, with full bans for 12 and partial restrictions for seven. Citing security concerns and the need to protect Americans, the proclamation follows an antisemitic attack in Boulder, Colorado, which White House officials indicated accelerated the president's decision, though the measure had been under consideration previously.
The full ban applies to individuals from Afghanistan, Myanmar (Burma), Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Meanwhile, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela face partial restrictions. Despite the broad scope, the proclamation does include carve-outs for lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders, certain visa categories, and individuals whose entry is deemed to serve U.S. national interests.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson defended the policy on X, framing it as a fulfillment of President Trump's promise to safeguard Americans from dangerous foreign actors. She characterized the restrictions as "commonsense," targeting countries with inadequate vetting procedures, high visa overstay rates, or a failure to share vital identity and threat information.
The president himself, in a video posted Wednesday, hinted at the dynamic nature of the ban, stating that the list is subject to revision based on improvements made by countries or the emergence of new global threats. He emphasized an unwavering commitment to preventing those who wish harm from entering the U.S. The proclamation is slated to become effective at 12:01 a.m. on June 9.
This latest move comes less than five months into President Trump's current term and echoes his first-term actions, where he implemented travel bans on seven majority-Muslim nations, a policy later challenged in courts and subsequently repealed by President Joe Biden in 2021.
The repercussions of this ban are already a point of contention, particularly for Afghans who collaborated with the U.S. during its two-decade involvement in Afghanistan. Shawn Vandiver, founder of #AfghanEvac, a prominent U.S. coalition of resettlement and veterans' groups, articulated concerns that the proclamation "disproportionately affects families and individuals seeking lawful entry into the US," viewing it as a strategic maneuver rather than a direct response to an immediate threat.
International reactions have also been swift and critical. Venezuela's Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace, Diosdado Cabello, sarcastically warned that being in the U.S. posed a significant risk to anyone, not just Venezuelans. Oxfam, a global humanitarian organization, condemned the proclamation, with its America President and CEO, Abby Maxman, expressing alarm that it signifies "a chilling return to policies of fear, discrimination, and division," potentially forcing individuals and families fleeing conflict and persecution to remain in perilous circumstances.
