In a move similar to a key 2017 policy of his first U.S. presidency, Donald Trump has announced that 12 countries are now subject to a full or partial ban on travel to the United States.
Against the backdrop of an antisemitic attack in Colorado initiated by an Egyptian in the country illegally, Trump called the policy a “key part of preventing major foreign terror attacks on American soil.”
The policy is scheduled to start operating after midnight on Monday, June 9th. It will affect travellers from:
- Afghanistan
- Myanmar
- Chad
- Republic of the Congo
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Haiti
- Iran
- Libya
- Somalia
- Sudan
- Yemen
In addition, people from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela will all face partial bans. Like the earlier ‘Muslim ban,’ even with some exemptions, the move is controversial among refugee groups.
The announcement follows legal conflict over a recent presidential ban on Harvard University accessing visas for its overseas students.
