Trump Reinstates and Expands Travel Ban Targeting a Dozen Countries

President Donald Trump issued a proclamation on June 4, 2025, restoring and enlarging a travel ban on foreign citizens traveling to the United States, marking a significant increase of bans initially set during his earlier term. The executive order went into effect following an executive order in January to upgrade foreign entry screening, repeating Trump's pledge to national security and counterterrorism as a prime focus.

Under the new proclamation, effective June 9, 2025, travel to the U.S. is totally banned for citizens of twelve countries: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. In addition, seven other countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela have been subject to partial travel bans, limiting tourist, student, and other visa categories with exceptions for temporary work visas. Exemptions include lawful permanent residents, valid visa holders, and those determined to be vital to U.S. interests, including certain athletes participating in prominent international sporting competitions.

The White House justified the move by citing deficiencies in several countries' identity verification and record-keeping methods, along with excessive visa overstay rates that, according to the officials, presented potential security gaps. Trump referred to a recent terrorist attack in Boulder, Colorado perpetrated by an individual who had overstayed his visa as evidence of such vulnerabilities and the need for more stringent vetting. State Department reviews purportedly found dozens of "high-risk" passports and a lack of government coordination on information sharing.

Reactions to the new travel ban were swift and polarized. Immigrant‐rights groups and many Democratic lawmakers criticized the policy as discriminatory and harmful to American families and communities with strong connections to the affected countries. Representative Pramila Jayapal labeled the proclamation "harmful to the nation's economy and core values," warning that it could rolled back humanitarian goals and refugee resettlement efforts. Meanwhile, some of the governments affected by the ban, such as Somalia's, indicated they were willing to cooperate with U.S. authorities to address security concerns. New court fights are being foreseen by legal experts, despite the administration's confidence after the Supreme Court's 2018 decision in favor of a previous iteration of Trump's travel ban.