President Donald Trump has signed a new order that restricts people from 12 countries from entering the United States, saying it’s necessary for national security.
Starting June 9, 2025, the full ban will apply to citizens from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
In addition to these countries, partial restrictions will also affect travelers from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
Some exceptions will be made for athletes attending major sporting events and certain Afghans or dual citizens from other, unaffected countries, according to the BBC.
In a video shared on X, Trump said the U.S. needs to control immigration from countries that can’t properly screen their citizens.
He wrote, “I must act to protect the national security and national interest of the United States and its people . We will not let what happened in Europe happen to America.
“Very simply, 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. We will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm.”
The White House explained that the countries facing the strictest bans were flagged for reasons such as high levels of terrorist activity, poor cooperation on visa security, weak identity checks, and bad criminal record-keeping.
High rates of people overstaying their visas also contributed to the decision.
This move is part of Trump’s larger push for tougher immigration policies since the start of his second term.
Back in January, he signed another order that tightened background checks for foreign nationals and told federal agencies to review which countries should face travel restrictions based on security concerns.
This latest action is similar to Trump’s travel ban during his first term, which blocked people from several Muslim-majority countries.
That earlier ban was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018 but was later canceled by President Joe Biden in 2021, who called it a “stain on our national conscience.”
KanyiDaily recalls that President Donald Trump recently criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling him “crazy” after Russia carried out a deadly overnight drone attack on Ukraine, the largest since the war began.