Trump Reinstates Full Travel Ban on 12 Nations, Including Afghanistan and Iran; Restrictions Added for 7 Others

U.S. President Donald Trump, now 78, has announced a new full-entry travel ban on nationals from 12 countries, citing security risks, terrorism links, and poor cooperation with U.S. immigration enforcement.

U.S. President Donald Trump, now 78, has announced a new full-entry travel ban on nationals from 12 countries, citing security risks, terrorism links, and poor cooperation with U.S. immigration enforcement. This latest move comes as Trump campaigns for a return to the White House, and includes a mix of Middle Eastern, African, and Asian nations, many of which were also targeted during his earlier presidency.

Among those fully banned from entering the United States are Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), Iran, and Libya. The decision was made public in a White House press release on Wednesday.

Full Ban List Targets ‘Very High-Risk’ Nations

According to the statement, the following 12 countries face complete restrictions:

• Afghanistan

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• Burma (Myanmar)

• Chad

• Republic of the Congo

• Equatorial Guinea

• Eritrea

• Haiti

• Iran

• Libya

• Somalia

• Sudan

• Yemen

These countries were marked as “very high risk” due to issues like terrorism ties, lack of proper identity screening, or poor cooperation with U.S. immigration enforcement. For example, Afghanistan is now governed by the Taliban, while Iran and Cuba were specifically called out for state-sponsored terrorism.

Partial Restrictions on Seven Other Countries

In addition to the full bans, Trump’s order also imposes partial visa restrictions on nationals from the following seven countries:

• Burundi

• Cuba

• Laos

• Sierra Leone

• Togo

• Turkmenistan

• Venezuela

These restrictions mostly affect immigrant and nonimmigrant visa categories, such as B-1 (business), B-2 (tourism), B-1/B-2 (combination), F (student), M (vocational), and J (exchange visitor) visas.

The White House said these countries were targeted due to high visa overstay rates or insufficient cooperation on law enforcement matters. For example, Chad had a 49.54% overstay rate for B1/B2 visas, while Eritrea had a 55.43% overstay rate for student (F), vocational (M), and exchange visitor (J) visas.

Trump Says Move Is About National Security

Trump defended the decision while referencing his earlier controversial travel ban, calling it essential to keep “radical Islamic terrorists” out of the country. “We will restore the travel ban, some people call it the Trump travel ban, and keep the radical Islamic terrorists out of our country that was upheld by the Supreme Court,” Trump said.

The president emphasized that the travel ban had previously been approved by the Supreme Court, which ruled that it fell within the legal powers of the president and served a legitimate national security purpose.

Justifications Include Terrorism, Illegal Migration, and Border Security

The White House said the ban was also prompted by concerns over illegal migration, especially from countries like Haiti, which saw a large influx of migrants during the Biden administration.

In addition, countries such as Iran, Cuba, and Afghanistan were pointed out for their political instability, terrorist affiliations, or lack of effective governance that could allow bad actors to enter the U.S. “This is about protecting American citizens,” a senior White House official said, adding that the administration had reviewed visa data, intelligence reports, and cooperation records before finalizing the list.

A Return to Earlier Controversial Policies

This decision mirrors Trump’s original travel ban introduced during his first term, which was criticized for targeting Muslim-majority nations and sparking protests around the world. At the time, critics called it discriminatory and unconstitutional, though the Supreme Court ultimately upheld the policy, stating that it served national security interests.

The administration says this version is more data-driven and specific, citing visa overstay percentages, governmental cooperation levels, and homeland security assessments as the basis for the restrictions.

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