Trump Imposes Travel Ban: Dozens of Countries Barred From Entering the U.S.

US President Donald Trump resurrected his travel ban policy from his first term, signing a proclamation on Wednesday night that will prevent people from 12 countries from entering the United States.

The list includes Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

In addition to the ban, which takes effect at midnight next Monday, heightened restrictions will be imposed on visitors from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

“I must act to protect the national security and national interest of the United States and its people,” Trump said in his proclamation.

The list results from an executive order the US President issued on his inauguration day – January 20 – requiring the Departments of State and Homeland Security, as well as the Director of National Intelligence, to compile a report on “hostile attitudes” toward the US and whether entry from certain countries represents a national security risk.

Old law reinstated?

During his first term, Trump issued an executive order in January 2017 banning travel to the US by citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries — Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen.

It was one of the most chaotic and confusing moments of his first term in office. Travellers from those nations were either barred from getting on their flights to the US or detained at US airports after landing.

They included students and faculty as well as businesspeople, tourists and people visiting friends and family.

The order, often referred to as the “Muslim ban”, was retooled amid legal challenges until a version was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.

The ban affected various categories of travellers and immigrants from Iran, Somalia, Yemen, Syria, Libya, North Korea, and some Venezuelan government officials and their families.

Trump and others have defended the initial ban on national security grounds, arguing it was aimed at protecting the country and not founded on anti-Muslim bias.

However, the US president had called for an explicit ban on Muslims during his first campaign for the White House.