US President Donald Trump has signed a sweeping executive order barring entry to nationals from 12 countries and imposing partial travel restrictions on citizens from seven others. The move marks a dramatic expansion of the controversial travel bans implemented during his first term in office.
The full travel ban will apply to citizens from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. In addition, individuals from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela will face partial entry restrictions.
According to the White House, Trump weighed “foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism goals” when deciding the scale of the order. This directive follows an earlier executive order he signed on his first day back in office, 20 January, in which he tasked his administration with identifying countries for the renewed travel ban. The list was finalised and issued by 21 March.
The new measures echo the controversial bans of Trump’s initial presidency, which drew sharp criticism from civil rights groups and immigration advocates. Critics argue that such bans unfairly target specific ethnic groups and risk splitting up families, especially those from communities with strong ties to countries like Haiti, Cuba, and Venezuela.
“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 communities that rely on the contributions of people who come to America from this wide range of countries,” said Pramila Jayapal, a Democratic representative of Washington DC.
This latest order is part of a broader string of hardline immigration directives issued by Trump since his return to the Oval Office. These include the suspension of asylum claims at the southern border, revocation of temporary protected status for individuals from crisis-hit countries, and a proclamation targeting foreign student visas, notably at Harvard University. Additionally, US consulates have been directed to carry out social media screenings for all visa applicants aiming to study there.
In a social media video, Trump stated that the travel restrictions were a response to a recent attack in Boulder, Colorado, which occurred during an event held in support of Israeli hostages. The attack, reportedly carried out by an Egyptian national, served as a stark warning, Trump claimed, of the risks posed by individuals who are inadequately vetted or who remain in the country after their visas expire. “We don’t want them,” he said.
He also noted that the list of countries could change depending on evolving global threats or improvements in vetting procedures. “Likewise, new countries could be added as threats emerge around the world,” he said.
During his campaign against Kamala Harris last year, Trump had already signalled his intention to reinstate and widen the travel ban. “I will ban refugee resettlement from terror-infested areas like the Gaza Strip, and we will seal our border and bring back the travel ban,” he said in September. “Remember the famous travel ban? We didn’t take people from certain areas of the world. We’re not taking them from infested countries.”
