🇺🇸 Trump Reinstates Sweeping Travel Ban on 12 Countries
“We Will Not Allow People Who Wish to Do Us Harm,” Says U.S. President
WASHINGTON D.C., June 4, 2025 In a dramatic return to hardline immigration policies, U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a new proclamation barring citizens from 12 countries from entering the United States. The decision, announced late Wednesday, revives a controversial strategy from his first term and expands it significantly.
Full Ban Hits 12 Nations
The countries facing complete entry restrictions include:
Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
According to the proclamation, nationals from these nations will face “full restrictions” on U.S. entry starting 12:01 a.m. EDT (5:01 a.m. Nigerian time) on June 9, 2025.
Partial Restrictions for 7 Others
In addition to the full ban, the Trump administration also announced partial travel restrictions for nationals from seven other countries:
Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
The nature of the partial restrictions was not disclosed in detail but is expected to involve limitations on visa categories and additional security screenings.
Trump: “Protecting Americans from Foreign Threats”
In a video posted on X (formerly Twitter), Trump defended the sweeping measure, stating,
“We will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm.”
He described the banned countries as either harboring a “large-scale presence of terrorists” or lacking the capability to properly screen their citizens.
Security Concerns Cited
The president listed several reasons behind the move:
Inadequate cooperation on visa and travel security
Poor record-keeping on criminal histories
Inability to verify the identity of travelers
High rates of visa overstays
“We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen those who seek to enter the United States,” Trump said.
A Broader Crackdown Begins
This travel ban marks the latest phase in Trump’s renewed immigration crackdown, launched immediately after his return to office in January 2025.
On January 20, he issued an executive order demanding tougher security vetting for all foreign nationals. That directive also tasked cabinet members with identifying countries that fail to meet U.S. screening standards.
The president warned that “the list is not final” and could be expanded in the future.
Echoes of a Controversial Past
This move mirrors Trump’s 2017 travel ban targeting seven Muslim-majority countries, which drew intense backlash before being upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018. President Joe Biden repealed the measure in 2021, calling it “a stain on our national conscience.”
Now, with Trump back in office, critics fear a return to the divisive immigration policies that shaped his first term.
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🇺🇸 Trump Reinstates Sweeping Travel Ban on 12 Countries