Trump Reinstates Broad Travel Ban: 12 Countries Face Full U.S. Entry Block Starting June 9
In order to tighten immigration policies, U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation banning entry to citizens from 12 countries, citing national security and terrorism-related concerns.
The full entry ban applies to nationals from the following countries:
Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
In addition, the U.S. will place partial travel restrictions on citizens of:
Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
The restrictions will take effect at 12:01 a.m. EDT on June 9, 2025.
President Trump defended the directive as a necessary step to protect the United States from potential threats.
“We will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm,” he said in a video posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Trump claimed that some of the banned nations harbor terrorist networks or have failed to cooperate with U.S. authorities in vetting travelers.
“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 added.
The proclamation follows an executive order issued in January 2025 that directed the U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security to identify countries with inadequate security systems or poor cooperation in sharing criminal or identity data.
This latest policy echoes Trump’s first-term travel ban, which initially targeted seven Muslim-majority nations. The controversial decision was heavily criticized but eventually upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018.
That ban was reversed by President Joe Biden in 2021, who called it “a stain on our national conscience.”
Now, with Trump back in office and immigration once again a top agenda item, the travel ban has returned broader and more sweeping than before.
What This Means
• Citizens of the 12 countries will not be allowed to enter the U.S. under any visa category.
• Those from the 7 partially restricted countries may face limited visa issuance, or travel only under specific conditions.
• The list may be updated, with more countries potentially added or removed based on future security evaluations.