Trump Travel Ban: 12 Countries Face Immediate Entry Curb in US

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Trump Administration Imposes Travel Ban on 12 Countries, Citing National Security Concerns

By TRH News Desk

NEW DELHI, June 5, 2025 – The Trump administration enacted a sweeping travel ban, imposing a full entry restriction on nationals from 12 countries, effective immediately. The move targets Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.

This policy marks a significant escalation in the administration’s immigration agenda, reigniting debates over national security, discrimination, and global diplomacy.

“We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen… That is why today I am signing a new executive order placing travel restrictions on countries including Yemen, Somalia, Haiti, Libya, and numerous others,” Trump said in a video statement issued by The White House.

The White House issued a statement defending the travel ban, emphasizing national security as the primary driver. According to a report by NBC News, the administration’s policy aligns with Executive Order 14161, signed by President Trump on January 20, 2025, titled “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats.” The order seeks to “protect Americans from aliens who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten national security, espouse hateful ideologies, or otherwise exploit immigration laws for malevolent purposes,” as quoted by the NBC News.

A White House spokesperson elaborated, as cited by Fox News, that the ban targets countries with “deficient vetting and screening processes,” arguing that the restrictions are necessary to safeguard the US from potential threats. The spokesperson added, “This administration will not compromise on the safety of the American people. These measures are a critical step in ensuring that our immigration system is not exploited by those who wish to do us harm.”

This is not the first time the Trump administration has implemented travel bans. During his first term, Trump introduced restrictions that predominantly affected Muslim-majority countries, a policy that faced significant legal challenges and was widely criticized as discriminatory. According to a Wikipedia entry updated on June 3, 2025, “His first-term travel bans predominantly affected Muslim-majority countries, were challenged in court, and criticized as targeting Muslim nationals. Most were subsequently revoked by Joe Biden in 2021.” The same entry notes that the current ban, set to remain in effect until August 31, 2025, unless extended, builds on the January 2025 executive order aimed at developing new travel restrictions for national security.

The groundwork for the current ban was laid earlier this year. The New York Times reported in March this year that a draft list circulating within the administration proposed targeting 43 countries for travel restrictions, though the final list has been scaled down to 12. The Times noted, “The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive internal deliberations, cautioned that the list had been developed by the State Department several weeks ago, and that changes were likely by the time it reached the White House.”

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