Trump Administration Announces New Travel Ban Affecting 12 Countries, Partial Restrictions on Seven Others

In a move to bolster national security, U.S. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on June 4, 2025, banning entry for citizens of 12 countries starting June 9. The full travel ban applies to nationals from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Furthermore, partial restrictions will affect travelers from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.

The White House explained that these countries were selected due to a “large-scale presence of terrorists,” poor cooperation on visa security, and inadequate identity verification systems. Trump declared in a video, “We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen.”

Exemptions are provided for certain groups, including athletes traveling for major sporting events, some Afghan nationals, dual nationals with citizenship in unaffected countries, and lawful permanent residents. This proclamation is part of a broader immigration crackdown initiated by Trump during his second term, following an executive order to enhance security checks on foreign nationals.

This policy revives aspects of Trump’s original travel ban from his first term, which was repealed by President Joe Biden in 2021, who called it “a stain on our national conscience.” The administration also cited problems such as poor criminal record-keeping and high visa overstay rates in the affected countries.