U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a new proclamation banning entry for nationals from 12 countries, citing national security concerns and inadequate screening and vetting systems, according to the White House.
“The Proclamation fully restricts and limits the entry of nationals from 12 countries found to be deficient with regard to screening and vetting and determined to pose a very high risk to the United States,” the White House said.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson posted on X:
“President Trump is fulfilling his promise to protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors that want to come to our country and cause us harm.”
During his first term, Trump imposed travel restrictions on seven predominantly Muslim countries. That policy was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018 but later revoked in 2021 by President Joe Biden, who called it “a stain on our national conscience.”
Full Travel Ban: The 12 Countries Affected
- Afghanistan
- No functioning authority for passport issuance; controlled by a group designated as a terrorist organization.
- B1/B2 overstay rate: 9.70%; F/M/J visa overstay rate: 29.30%.
- Myanmar (Burma)
- Lacks cooperation in accepting deportees.
- B1/B2 overstay: 27.07%; F/M/J: 42.17%.
- Chad
- High overstay rates, indicating disregard for U.S. immigration laws.
- B1/B2: 49.54% (2023), 37.12% (2022); F/M/J: 55.64%.
- Republic of the Congo
- Overstay rates: B1/B2: 29.63%; F/M/J: 35.14%.
- Equatorial Guinea
- B1/B2: 21.98%; F/M/J: 70.18%.
- Eritrea
- Incompetent document systems; no access to criminal records; refuses to accept deportees.
- B1/B2: 20.09%; F/M/J: 55.43%.
- Haiti
- Lacks centralized law enforcement systems; recent mass illegal immigration noted.
- B1/B2: 31.38%; F/M/J: 25.05%.
- Iran
- Accused of supporting terrorism; non-cooperative with U.S. authorities.
- Libya
- No reliable government or vetting procedures; terrorist presence reported.
- Somalia
- Weak territorial control; safe haven for terrorist groups; refuses repatriation of deportees.
- Sudan
- No effective document verification or screening protocols.
- Yemen
- No central authority; ongoing conflict; active U.S. military operations since Jan 2025.
Partial Restrictions: 7 Additional Countries
Alongside the full ban, the Trump administration also imposed partial entry restrictions on nationals from seven more countries deemed high-risk:
- Burundi
- B1/B2 overstay: 15.35%; F/M/J: 17.52%.
- Cuba
- Designated as a state sponsor of terrorism; refuses to repatriate citizens.
- B1/B2: 7.69%; F/M/J: 18.75%.
- Laos
- Historically fails to accept deportees.
- B1/B2: 34.77%; F/M/J: 6.49%.
- Sierra Leone
- Refuses to repatriate nationals.
- B1/B2: 15.43%; F/M/J: 35.83%.
- Togo
- B1/B2: 19.03%; F/M/J: 35.05%.
- Turkmenistan
- B1/B2: 15.35%; F/M/J: 21.74%.
- Venezuela
- Inadequate screening and document issuance; rejects return of deportees.
- B1/B2: 9.83%.
The new travel restrictions mark a significant return to the hardline immigration stance seen during Trump’s first term, reflecting a renewed focus on national security and immigration enforcement.
