President Donald Trump announced Wednesday night that nationals from 12 countries would be banned from entering the United States starting on Monday.
Trump said that the ban, which primarily targets countries in Africa and the Middle East, was necessary to preserve national security and prevent terrorism in the U.S.
“As President, I must act to protect the national security and national interest of the United States and its people,” Trump’s proclamation reads. “I remain committed to engaging with those countries willing to cooperate to improve information-sharing and identity-management procedures, and to address both terrorism-related and public-safety risks.”
Who is banned?
Citizens of the following 12 countries will be blocked from entering the United States: Afghanistan, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, the Republic of Congo, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
In addition, nationals of seven other countries will be barred from coming into the U.S. permanently or under several visa programs: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
When does the ban take effect?
The executive goes into effect Monday at 12:01 am ET.
Why now?
A similar policy in Trump’s first term, which barred foreigners from six Muslim-majority countries from entering the country, was reversed by then-President Joe Biden.
On the campaign trail, Trump promised he would revive the ban.
In a video posted Wednesday on YouTube, Trump cited the attack Sunday in Boulder as justification for the travel ban renewal.
“The recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, has underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted, as well as those who come here as temporary visitors and overstay their visas,” Trump said. “We don’t want them.”
The suspect in the Boulder attack, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, is accused of using a “makeshift flamethrower” and Molotov cocktails on a group of people peacefully calling for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza.
Soliman entered the U.S. legally from Egypt in 2022 on a tourist visa, according to officials.
Egypt is not one of the countries affected by the new travel ban.
Are there any exceptions?
Yes. The ban will not affect nationals who are already lawful permanent residents of the U.S. In other words, the proclamation will not apply to nationals from the list of banned countries who have green cards or who are living in the U.S. with a visa.
It will also not affect citizens of the banned countries who have citizenship in a second country and are entering the U.S. with a passport from an unrestricted nation.
Other exemptions include Afghans who helped the U.S. government during the war in Afghanistan; ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran; athletes from banned countries who are entering the U.S for the World Cup or the Olympics; and children who are being adopted.
