Trump bans travel from twelve nations

Washington

US President Donald Trump has signed a new order banning travel from 12 countries and restricting entry from 7 others. He said the move is to protect national security. The countries banned include Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.

The order also places limits on people from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. These restrictions are not full bans but will limit how easily citizens from those countries can enter the US.

This new action comes after a recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado. A violent attack occurred at a peaceful rally asking for the release of Israeli hostages. Trump said this shows how dangerous it can be to allow people into the country without proper checks. In a video, he said, “We don’t want them.”

Officials said the attacker, Mohammed Sabry Solima, came to the US during the Biden administration and stayed after his visa expired.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson said the travel ban is aimed at countries with poor security systems, high numbers of people overstaying visas, and failure to share security data. She said the ban is needed to protect American lives.

This order is similar to bans Trump signed in his first term, which mostly affected Muslim-majority nations. That earlier ban was removed by President Joe Biden in 2021. Trump’s new move has already brought back memories of that past policy and may again lead to legal fights.