Washington D.C. – The Trump administration has implemented new travel restrictions affecting nationals from multiple countries, citing security risks. The proclamation, signed Wednesday evening, introduces both full and partial restrictions based on assessments of vetting processes, visa overstay rates, and information sharing.

full and Partial Restrictions Defined

The new policy fully restricts entry for nationals from the following 12 countries:

• Afghanistan
• Myanmar (Burma)
• Chad
• Republic of the Congo
• Equatorial Guinea
• eritrea
• haiti
• Iran
• Libya
• Somalia
• Sudan
• Yemen

Partial restrictions are in place for people from seven countries:

• burundi
• Cuba
• Laos
• Sierra Leone
• Togo
• Turkmenistan
• Venezuela

Exceptions to the Ban

The proclamation includes several exceptions. Lawful permanent residents and existing visa holders are generally exempt. Certain visa categories and individuals whose entry serves U.S. national interests may also be granted exceptions.

White House Rationale and Timing

According to a White House official, the president’s decision to sign the proclamation was influenced by the antisemitic attack in Boulder, Colorado.While the policy was under consideration beforehand, the incident accelerated its implementation.

The White House is framing the travel ban as a fulfillment of a campaign promise. President Trump is fulfilling his promise to protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors that want to come to our country and cause us harm. These commonsense restrictions are country-specific and include places that lack proper vetting, exhibit high visa overstay rates, or fail to share identity and threat information, White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson wrote on X.

Echoes of the Past

This proclamation arrives less than five months into the president’s second term. On his frist day in office, he directed cabinet members to compile a list of countries for which vetting and screening information is so deficient as to warrant a partial or full suspension on the admission of nationals from those countries.

During his first term, Trump implemented a travel ban targeting seven majority-Muslim nations. this policy faced numerous court challenges before being repealed by President Joe Biden upon taking office in 2021.

Potential Impact on Afghan Allies

the inclusion of Afghanistan in the travel restrictions raises concerns about its impact on Afghans who collaborated with the U.S. during the two-decade war. many Afghans are already facing uncertainty due to previous executive orders that suspended the U.S. refugee admissions program and foreign aid funding for flights of Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders.