U.S. President Donald Trump has unveiled a new proclamation that imposes travel bans on citizens from 12 nations and enforces additional entry restrictions on individuals from seven others. This move, which the administration claims is vital for protecting national security, is set to take effect at 12:01 a.m. on Monday.
The 12 countries subject to the outright ban include Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. In addition to these, citizens from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela will face increased restrictions when attempting to enter the United States.
President Trump defended the decision by citing the need to safeguard the interests and security of the American people. The proclamation is a direct follow-up to an executive order signed on January 20, which instructed the Department of State, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Director of National Intelligence to review global attitudes toward the U.S. and identify countries whose citizens could pose security threats.
It is notable that ten out of the 19 affected countries are located in Africa. Some of the nations listed, such as Togo, Sierra Leone, and Equatorial Guinea, have not been associated with significant militant activity or anti-Western terrorism, raising questions about the criteria used to determine the bans.
This new action is reminiscent of Trump’s earlier travel policy during his first term. In January 2017, he issued an executive order prohibiting travel to the U.S. from several Muslim-majority countries including Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen. That controversial policy, often dubbed the “Muslim ban,” faced legal challenges but was ultimately upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018.
The latest restrictions signal a continued emphasis by the Trump administration on stringent immigration controls and heightened border security, even in cases where threats to the U.S. remain unclear or unverified.