On June 4, 2025, President Donald Trump announced a travel ban similar to one from his first term that will affect citizens from 12 countries, alongside partial restrictions on 7 others.
In a statement from the White House, Trump justified the travel ban by citing national security concerns, saying his administration was specifically targeting countries with high visa overstay rates and inadequate vetting systems.
“We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen,” Trump said via the White House’s social media channels. “That is why today I am signing a new executive order placing travel restrictions on countries including Yemen, Somalia, Haiti, Libya, and numerous others.”
The ban will go into effect Monday, June 9, 2025, at 12:01 a.m. and will affect Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Once the ban launches, nationals of those countries will be prohibited from entering the USA on both immigrant and non-immigrant visas—unless they qualify for one of a handful of exceptions.
It also puts increased restrictions on visitors from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. Going forward, citizens of those countries will not be granted certain types of visas, like the B-1/B-2 (types of tourist and business visas) or the F, M, and J (types of student and exchange visitor visas). They may, however, be able to apply for other visas, although paths of entry to the United States will be severely limited.
In a video released by the White House, Trump emphasized that the ban aims to protect Americans from potential terrorist threats and individuals who may exploit U.S. immigration laws. The administration also pointed to a recent terrorist attack in Boulder, Colorado, carried out by an immigrant from Egypt who threw gasoline bombs into a gathering of pro-Israel demonstrators, as a catalyst for the policy (however, Egypt isn’t one of the countries on the restricted list).
Human rights groups have criticized the policy as discriminatory, noting that many of the affected countries are Muslim-majority and have predominantly non-white populations.
Abby Maxman, president of Oxfam America, an organization that fights inequality with a goal to end poverty and injustice, told the Associated Press, “This policy is not about national security—it is about sowing division and vilifying communities that are seeking safety and opportunity in the United States.”
Trump added that the list of banned countries could change if authorities in those countries made “material improvements” to their vetting processes. “Likewise, new countries can be added as threats emerge around the world,” Trump said.
The U.S. State Department has been directed to cease issuing visas for the affected countries in the restricted categories, effective June 9. Existing visa holders and green card holders are not affected but may face additional screening upon entry. Some of the other individuals exempt from these restrictions include nationals with dual citizenship (who can use non-banned passports), diplomats, athletes and coaches traveling for major sporting events (like the 2026 World Cup or the 2028 Olympics), Special Immigrant Visa holders, and individuals involved in an adoption.
The move follows a January 2025 executive order aimed at enhancing security measures directed toward foreign nationals seeking to enter the United States and mirrors Trump’s 2017 travel ban, which restricted entry from five Muslim-majority countries, including Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen, as well as North Korean and Venezuelan nationals, with some exceptions. That ban created chaos at U.S. airports and faced myriad legal challenges, but it was ultimately upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018. In 2020, Burma, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Sudan were added to the list, each with their own rules and exceptions.
Former President Joe Biden rescinded the travel ban on his first day in office in 2021, signing a proclamation titled “Ending Discriminatory Bans on Entry to the United States.” Biden’s proclamation read, “The United States was built on a foundation of religious freedom and tolerance, a principle enshrined in the United States Constitution. Nevertheless, the previous administration enacted a number of executive orders and presidential proclamations that prevented certain individuals from entering the United States—those actions are a stain on our national conscience and are inconsistent with our long history of welcoming people of all faiths and no faith at all.”
