BBC News
Donald Trump has signed a ban on travel to the US from 12 countries, citing national security risks.
There are also seven additional countries whose nationals will face partial travel restrictions.
The US president said the list could be revised if “material improvements” were made, while other countries could be added as “threats emerge around the world”.
It is the second time he has ordered a ban on travel from certain countries. He signed a similar order in 2017 during his first term in office.
Which countries are affected?
Trump has signed a proclamation banning travel to the US from nationals of 12 countries:
- Afghanistan
- Myanmar
- Chad
- Congo-Brazzaville
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Haiti
- Iran
- Libya
- Somalia
- Sudan
- Yemen
Nationals from these countries will not be allowed to enter the US unless they qualify for an exemption.
There are an additional seven countries whose nationals face partial travel restrictions:
- Burundi
- Cuba
- Laos
- Sierra Leone
- Togo
- Turkmenistan
- Venezuela
Those under the partial restrictions will not be able to travel to the US with certain visas.
The ban takes effect on Monday at 00:01 EDT (04:01 GMT), a cushion that avoids the chaos that unfolded at US airports when a similar measure took effect with virtually no notice eight years ago.
No end date has been provided. The order calls for periodic review.
Why has a ban been announced?
The White House said these “common sense restrictions” would “protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors”.
In a video posted to his Truth Social website, Trump said the recent alleged terror attack in Boulder, Colorado “underscored the extreme dangers” posed by foreign nationals who had not been “properly vetted”.
Twelve people were injured in Colorado on Sunday when a man attacked a group gathering in support of Israeli hostages, throwing two incendiary devices and using a makeshift flamethrower.
The man accused of carrying out the attack has been identified as an Egyptian national, but Egypt is not included on the list of banned countries.
Trump has close ties with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who has in the past been described by the US president as his “favourite dictator”.
Only two of the 19 countries are on the US government’s State Sponsors of Terrorism list – Iran, which has a full ban, and Cuba, which faces partial travel restrictions.
But national security is given as a partial reason for the choices.
In the proclamation, Trump said many of the countries listed have a “historic failure to accept back their removable nationals” from the US, as well as having “taken advantage” of the US by exploiting its visa system.
He added that nationals from certain countries also “pose significant risks” of overstaying their visas.
World Cup players allowed – who else is exempt?
There are a number of people from affected countries who may still be able to enter the US due to a number of exceptions. The order does not apply to:
- “Lawful permanent” US residents
- Their immediate family members who hold immigrant visas
- US government employees with Special Immigrant Visas
- Adoptions
- Dual nationals when the individual is not travelling on a passport from one of the affected countries
- Afghan nationals holding Special Immigrant Visas
- Holders of “immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran”
- Foreign nationals travelling with certain non-immigrant visas
- Athletes, their teams (including coaches and supporting staff), and their immediate family when travelling for major sporting events, such as the men’s football World Cup in 2026 and the Summer 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles
In addition, the US Secretary of State may grant exemptions to individuals on a “case-by-case” basis, if “the individual would serve a United States national interest”.
What has been the reaction to the ban?
Trump’s latest order, which is expected to face legal challenges, drew a swift response, at home and abroad.
Chad has retaliated by suspending all visas to US citizens, with President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno saying the country “has its dignity and pride”.
Somalia promised to work with the US to address any security issues, with ambassador to the US, Dahir Hassan Abdi, saying his country “values its longstanding relationship” with the US.
Venezuela’s Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello warned that “being in the United States is a great risk for anyone, not just for Venezuelans”.
The African Union, which represents all 55 countries on the continent, called on the US to “engage in constructive dialogue with the countries concerned”.
It appealed to the US to exercise its right to protect its borders and its citizens’ security “in a manner that is balanced, evidence-based, and reflective of the long-standing partnership between the United States and Africa”.
The union said it remained concerned about the “potential negative impact of such measures”.
The UN’s human rights chief, Volker Turk, said the ban “raises concerns from the perspective of international law”
“The broad and sweeping nature of the new travel ban raises concerns from the perspective of international law,” Volker Turk said in a statement.
That included “the principle of non-discrimination and of the necessity and proportionality of the measures deployed to meet the security concerns stated”, he told news agency AFP.
In the US, Democrats were quick to condemn the move.
“This ban, expanded from Trump’s Muslim ban in his first term, will only further isolate us on the world stage,” Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal wrote on social media.
Congressman Don Beyer said Trump had “betrayed” the ideals of the founders of the US.
Human rights organisation Amnesty International USA described it as “discriminatory, racist, and downright cruel”, while the US-based Human Rights First called it “yet another anti-immigrant and punitive action taken” by the president.
But others support the ban.
Congressman Clay Higgins of Louisiana said travel to the US was “a privilege, not a right”.
He claimed on BBC Radio’s Today programme that Americans had “had enough of immigrants coming to our country, violating our laws and committing violence among our people”.
Greg Swenson, chairman of Republicans Overseas UK, said the list of countries subject to the travel ban proves the White House is using a “common sense policy”, but expressed suprise that Egypt had not been included.
“I think what the president has decided was that Egypt, despite having one particular incident from an illegal migrant, might have some policies that are in place which are better than other countries,” he said.
How is it different to last time?
Trump’s original ban took place in 2017, during his first White House term, and featured some of the same countries as his latest order, including Iran, Libya and Somalia.
Critics called it a “Muslim ban” as the seven countries initially listed were Muslim majority, and it was immediately challenged in courts across the US.
The White House revised the policy, ultimately adding two non-Muslim majority countries, North Korea and Venezuela. It was upheld by the US Supreme Court in 2018.
Joe Biden, who succeeded Trump as US president, repealed the ban in 2021, calling it “a stain on our national conscience”.
US immigration law expert Christi Jackson said the new ban suggested “lessons have been learned” from Trump’s first attempt.
The latest ban was not being implemented immediately, the restrictions were “wider in scope” and it had “clearly defined” exemptions, she told the BBC.
Professor of law and former US attorney Barbara McQuade said the last travel ban had “caused chaos at the border”, while this time Trump had given some advance notice.
“The first time around it included lawful permanent residents or Green Card holders, people who had established status in the United States, which courts found to be a violation of the Constitution,” she told BBC Newshour.
“This time I think there has been more thought given to this,” she said, adding it was “very likely” to be upheld by the Supreme Court.
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