Trump’s new travel ban: the countries chosen and how it differs from the last one
President’s sweeping proclamation targets citizens of many countries and would dramatically reshape US border policy
Nearly five months into his second term, Donald Trump has announced a new sweeping travel ban that could reshape the US’s borders more dramatically than any policy in modern memory. The restrictions, revealed through a presidential proclamation on Wednesday, would target citizens from more than a dozen countries – creating a three-tiered system of escalating barriers to entry.
The proclamation represents one of the most ambitious attempts to reshape the US’s approach to global mobility in modern history and potentially affects millions of people coming to the US for relocation, travel, work or school.
What is a travel ban?
A travel ban restricts or prohibits citizens of specific countries from entering the US. These restrictions can range from complete visa suspensions to specific limitations on certain visa categories.
Trump’s day one executive order required the state department to identify countries “for which vetting and screening information is so deficient as to warrant a partial or full suspension on the admission of nationals from those countries”.
His travel ban proclamation referenced the previous executive order, as well as the recent attack by an Egyptian national in Boulder, Colorado, upon a group of people demonstrating for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza.
What is a presidential proclamation?
A presidential proclamation is a decree that is often ceremonial or can have legal implications when it comes to national emergencies.
Unlike an executive order, which is a directive to heads of agencies in the administration, the proclamation primarily signals a broad change in policy.
Which countries are listed in the travel ban?
The following countries were identified for total bans of any nationals seeking to travel to the US for immigration or non-immigration reasons:
Afghanistan
Myanmar
Chad
Republic of the Congo
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Haiti
Iran
Libya
Somalia
Sudan
Yemen
Trump is also partly restricting the travel of people from:
Burundi
Cuba
Laos
Sierra Leone
Togo
Turkmenistan
Venezuela
Why were these countries chosen?
The proclamation broadly cites national security issues for including the countries, but specifies a few different issues that reach the level of concern for the travel ban.
For some countries, such as Afghanistan, Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Libya and Venezuela, the proclamation claims that there is no reliable central authority for issuing passports or screening and vetting nationals traveling out of the country.
For other countries, such as Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Burundi, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo and Turkmenistan, the proclamation cites a high rate of immigrants overstaying their business, tourist and student visas in the US.
Finally, there are several countries that are included because of terrorist activity or state-sponsored terrorism, including Iran, Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia and Cuba.
In the draft travel ban plans that were leaked in March, the original list contained 43 nations across three tiers of restrictions. Now the ban has been filtered down to 19 countries.
Among the puzzling inclusions is Venezuela, which the White House says lacks competent document-issuing authorities. Trump has recently pursued a thaw in relations with the country that has proven useful to his deportation initiatives– though the country’s inclusion is likely tied to Venezuelans already in the US who have been a clear target for the White House.
How does this travel ban differ from the one in 2017?
The 2017 ban initially targeted seven predominantly Muslim countries before expanding to include North Korea and Venezuela. This new proclamation is broader and also makes the notable addition of Haiti.
During his 2024 campaign for the presidency, Trump amplified false claims made by his running mate, JD Vance, that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were “eating the pets of the people that live there”. The proclamation falsely claims that “hundreds of thousands of illegal Haitian aliens flooded into the United States during the Biden administration” and this “influx harms American communities”. In fact, about 200,000 Haitians were granted temporary protected status, which gives legal residency permits to foreign nationals who are unable to return home safely due to conditions in their home countries.
Also notable are the restrictions on Afghans, given that many of the Afghans approved to live in the US as refugees were forced to flee their home country as a result of working to support US troops there, before the full withdrawal of US forces in 2021. The agreement with the Taliban to withdraw US troops was negotiated by Trump during his first term.
Last month, the homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, announced “the termination of temporary protected status for Afghanistan”, effective 20 May.
The restrictions will be reviewed every 180 days for potential modification.
How will visa holders be affected?
Current visa holders remain largely protected: the restrictions only apply to people outside the US without valid visas as of 9 June. No existing visas will be revoked, the White House said.
But new visa applications from people from these countries will be suspended or severely limited, with some exceptions for diplomatic visas, immediate family members and cases involving US national interest – one such example being the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics.
For employers, the ban threatens significant workforce disruptions across the tech, healthcare and education sectors, with companies unable to hire from the 12 countries targeted by a full ban. For the seven countries on a partial ban, employers can still hire on some work visas but cannot sponsor green cards, and visas will have reduced durations.
The impact could be particularly severe for international Stem talent, medical professionals and academic recruitment.
The education and health industries alone employ about 5.5 million foreign-born workers.