Washington– Former U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a new presidential proclamation barring entry from 12 nations and imposing partial restrictions on travelers from seven others, citing national security concerns.
The proclamation, announced Wednesday night, includes a full travel ban on nationals from Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
In addition, partial entry restrictions have been placed on individuals from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
The move follows a recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, which targeted participants in a peaceful rally advocating for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. In a video statement, Trump said the incident highlighted the risks posed by insufficiently vetted foreign nationals and visa overstays.
“The recent terror attack in Boulder has underscored the extreme dangers posed by foreign nationals who are not properly vetted, as well as those who enter on temporary visas and never leave. We don’t want them,” Trump said in the statement released by the White House.
According to Department of Homeland Security officials, the attacker—identified as Mohammed Sabry Solima—entered the country under the Biden administration and overstayed his visa.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson defended the proclamation, stating that it aligns with Trump’s longstanding commitment to safeguarding the country.
“President Trump is fulfilling his promise to protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors. These commonsense restrictions target countries that lack adequate vetting procedures, have high visa overstay rates, or fail to cooperate on identity and threat information sharing,” Jackson said in a post on X.
The new order echoes travel bans issued during Trump’s first term, which targeted several majority-Muslim nations, including Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. Those bans faced multiple legal challenges and were ultimately repealed by President Joe Biden upon taking office in 2021. (Source: IANS)
