President Donald Trump has signed a sweeping new proclamation restricting entry into the United States for citizens of 12 countries, citing heightened national security threats and inadequate vetting systems.
The order, which takes effect on June 9, 2025, enforces a full travel ban on nationals from the following countries: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
In addition to the comprehensive bans, the proclamation imposes partial entry restrictions on citizens of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
These restrictions may include heightened screening, visa category limitations, or entry only under specific conditions.
According to a statement from the White House, the countries subjected to the harshest measures were identified based on their “large-scale presence of terrorist groups,” poor cooperation with U.S. visa-security protocols, and insufficient systems for verifying the identity and criminal backgrounds of travelers.
President Trump defended the directive in a video message posted Wednesday on X (formerly Twitter), stating, “We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen.”
The administration also cited additional concerns such as inadequate criminal record databases and consistently high visa overstay rates.
Exemptions to the ban exist in limited circumstances. These include athletes participating in major international competitions, certain Afghan nationals, and dual citizens who also hold passports from countries not affected by the order, according to a report by the BBC.
This latest move is part of President Trump’s broader immigration enforcement agenda, reignited at the start of his second term.
On January 20, he signed an executive order directing federal agencies to tighten security checks on foreign nationals and review which countries pose elevated security risks due to weak vetting systems.
The measure strongly echoes Trump’s first-term travel ban, which targeted seven predominantly Muslim nations and sparked international backlash before being upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018. That ban was later revoked by President Joe Biden in 2021, who described it as “a stain on our national conscience.”
Trump’s latest directive signals a renewed push to prioritize security over inclusivity, reigniting debates over immigration policy and civil liberties as the country heads toward another contentious election cycle.
