A sweeping new travel ban signed by U.S. President Donald Trump came into effect just after midnight on Monday, reinstating a controversial immigration policy from his first term.
The ban blocks citizens from a dozen countries from entering the United States and further tightens restrictions as the Trump administration intensifies its immigration crackdown.
The newly announced measure is anticipated to significantly disrupt refugee admissions and narrow legal immigration channels. Many of the countries affected—such as Iran and Afghanistan—have strained relations with the United States, while others, including Haiti and Libya, are experiencing internal crises.
In a statement last week, Trump said the policy was prompted by a recent “terrorist attack” on Jews in Colorado. According to the administration, the attacker had overstayed a visa. The group targeted had been protesting in solidarity with hostages held in Gaza.
That incident, Trump argued, “underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted” or who overstay their visas.
According to the White House, the travel ban applies to all nationals of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. A partial ban was also placed on travellers from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. While some temporary work visas from those countries will still be granted, most forms of travel will be restricted.
Trump indicated that the list could grow: “New countries could be added… as threats emerge around the world.”
The policy has already had immediate repercussions. Mehria, a 23-year-old Afghan woman who applied for refugee status, shared her frustration and despair. “We gave up thousands of hopes and our entire lives… on a promise from America, but today we are suffering one hell after another,” she told AFP.
Some exceptions to the ban were laid out in Trump’s order. It does not apply to athletes participating in the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, or the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. The ban also exempts diplomats from the affected countries.
Still, the policy has drawn sharp criticism at home and abroad. UN human rights chief Volker Turk warned that “the broad and sweeping nature of the new travel ban raises concerns from the perspective of international law.”
Democratic lawmakers have also condemned the measure. Iranian-American Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “I know the pain that Trump’s cruel and xenophobic travel bans inflict because my family has felt it firsthand,” adding, “We will fight this ban with everything we have.”
Speculation about a renewed travel ban had mounted after the Colorado attack. U.S. officials later identified the suspect as Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian national who had overstayed his tourist visa and applied for asylum in 2022. Despite this, Egypt was notably absent from the list of banned countries.
Trump’s proclamation stated that Afghanistan, Libya, Sudan, Somalia, and Yemen were included because they lack “competent” authorities capable of passport issuance and security vetting. Iran was labelled a “state sponsor of terrorism”.
For the remaining nations, the administration cited a higher-than-average rate of visa overstays as the justification for inclusion in the ban.
