President Donald Trump has announced a new travel ban restricting entry into the United States for citizens of 12 countries, citing concerns over national security. This measure is set to take effect on June 9, 2025.
The full ban applies to nationals from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Additionally, partial restrictions will be enforced on travelers from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
According to the BBC, some exceptions are in place. These include athletes traveling for major international sporting events, certain Afghan nationals, and individuals holding dual citizenship from unaffected countries.
President Trump emphasized that the policy aims to prevent entry by individuals who might pose security threats. In a video message shared on X on Wednesday, he stated, “We cannot allow open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen travelers.”
The White House cited several reasons for targeting these countries, including a significant presence of terrorist groups, lack of cooperation on visa security, poor identity verification processes, and high rates of visa overstays. Additionally, concerns were raised over inadequate criminal record-keeping systems.
This new travel ban is part of Trump’s broader immigration security strategy, which began with his second term’s executive order on January 20, 2025. That order mandated tougher screening for foreign visitors and instructed federal agencies to review and suspend entry from countries failing to meet security standards.
The current ban recalls Trump’s original, and highly controversial, travel restrictions during his first term, which primarily targeted seven Muslim-majority countries. This earlier ban was ultimately upheld by the US Supreme Court in 2018 but was repealed by President Joe Biden in 2021, who called it “a stain on our national conscience.”
