WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced the resurrection of a hallmark policy from his first term, declaring that citizens from 12 countries would be banned from visiting the United States, while visitors from seven additional countries would face heightened restrictions.
The new travel restrictions are set to take effect on Monday at 12:01 a.m. This grace period is intended to prevent the widespread disruption experienced at airports nationwide in 2017 when a similar measure was implemented with little to no advance notice. Trump, who had signaled his intention to enact a new ban since taking office in January, appears to be on stronger legal footing this time, following a favorable ruling by the Supreme Court on his previous travel ban.
The list of 12 banned countries includes some, but not all, nations that were part of Trump’s initial travel restrictions. The new ban applies to Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Additionally, heightened restrictions will be placed on visitors from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
In a video disseminated on social media, President Trump linked the new ban to Sunday’s terror attack in Boulder, Colorado. He stated that the incident underscored the risks posed by certain visitors who overstay their visas. The suspect in the Boulder attack is an Egyptian national, a country not on Trump’s current restricted list. The Department of Homeland Security has confirmed that the suspect overstayed a tourist visa.
