President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation banning nationals from a dozen countries from entering the U.S., primarily targeting Africans and Asians.
On Wednesday (June 4), Trump announced that nationals from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen would be barred from entering the U.S, per NBC News.
The president claimed the new restrictions were necessary to uphold national security and combat terrorism.
“As President, I must act to protect the national security and national interest of the United States and its people. I remain committed to engaging with those countries willing to cooperate to improve information-sharing and identity-management procedures, and to address both terrorism-related and public-safety risks,” Trump’s proclamation reads.
According to the proclamation, several countries on the ban list repeatedly declined to accept the return of their nationals or had “unacceptable” visa overstay rates, marking a “blatant disregard for United States immigration laws.” Other countries were included on the list for inadequate screening and vetting measures, the proclamation states.
Along with the 12 countries banned from travel, seven others came under partial restrictions as several visa programs were suspended. The affected countries include Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
All travel restrictions are scheduled to go into effect at 12:01 a.m. ET Monday (June 9).
Trump has previously expressed his desire to limit immigration from Haiti and other African nations, slamming them as “sh**hole” countries and making his preference for European immigrants clear. Earlier this year, the Trump administration canceled an extension of Haiti’s Temporary Protected Status after the Biden administration extended the designation into 2026 due to violence and political turmoil on the island.
See how the internet is reacting to Trump’s travel ban below.
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