US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation banning travel from certain countries, citing national security concerns.
Ms Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, said “President Trump is fulfilling his promise to protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors that want to come to our country and cause us harm.”
The proclamation fully restricts and limits the entry of nationals from 12 countries: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
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The entry of people from seven other countries will be partially restricted: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
Travel Restrictions Take Effect 9 Jun Following Colorado Attack
The White House said the proclamation will be effective from 12.01am Eastern Time on 9 Jun (12.01pm on 9 Jun in Singapore).
The countries facing the total ban were found “to be deficient with regards to screening and vetting and determined to pose a very high risk to the United States,” according to a statement provided by the White House.
Trump said the travel ban was spurred by the Colorado attack and is subject to revision, adding that other countries may be included as threats emerge around the world.
An Egyptian national, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, has been charged with attacking a crowd taking part in a Jewish protest in Colorado using firebombs, injuring eight people. US authorities have blamed Monday’s attack on the man, whom they say was in the country illegally.
“The recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado has underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted,” Trump said in a video message from the Oval Office posted on X. “We don’t want them.”
Athletes Exempted from Travel Ban Measures
Athletes, including coaches and immediate relatives, travelling for the World Cup, Olympics or other major sporting events are exempted, the White House added.
Trump compared the new measures to the “powerful” ban he imposed on a number of mainly Muslim countries in his first term, which he said had stopped the US suffering attacks that happened in Europe.
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“We will not let what happened in Europe happen in America,” Trump said. “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.”
White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson said on X: “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.”
During his first term in office, Mr Trump announced a ban on travellers from seven majority-Muslim nations, a policy that went through several iterations before it was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.
Former President Joe Biden, a Democrat who succeeded Mr Trump, repealed the ban in 2021, calling it “a stain on our national conscience”.
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