WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 18: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a swearing in ceremony for Dr. Mehmet Oz as Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator in the Oval Office at the White House on April 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. Oz spoke of a desire to provide America access to great care while reducing chronic disease and modernizing Medicare and Medicaid. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Andrew Harnik / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
In a dramatic expansion of his immigration crackdown, U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a new proclamation barring citizens from 12 countries from entering the United States, citing national security concerns.
The proclamation, signed on Wednesday evening, places a full travel ban on nationals from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Citizens of these countries will be completely restricted from entering the U.S.
In addition, partial entry restrictions will apply to individuals from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
The policy is set to take effect on June 9, 2025, at 12:01 a.m. EDT (5:01 a.m. Nigerian time).
In a video address posted on his official X handle, President Trump stated:
“We will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm.”
Trump claimed the affected countries were either harbouring terrorist networks, failing to cooperate on visa security, or lacking systems to verify travellers’ identities and criminal records. High incidences of visa overstays were also listed as a contributing factor.
“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,” he emphasized.
Trump added that the list may evolve, warning that more countries could be added if they fall short of U.S. security vetting standards.
This move marks a continuation—and escalation—of Trump’s hardline immigration agenda in his second term. On January 20, he issued an executive order mandating heightened security vetting for all foreigners applying to enter the U.S. That directive ordered key cabinet members to identify countries with inadequate screening procedures for potential travellers.
During his first term, Trump sparked global controversy with a travel ban on seven Muslim-majority nations. Though widely criticized and challenged in courts, the ban was eventually upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018.
However, former President Joe Biden repealed that policy upon taking office in 2021, describing it as “a stain on our national conscience.”
With this new directive, Trump appears determined to double down on his border control philosophy, reinforcing what may become a defining feature of his second term in office.
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