US imposes travel ban on citizens of 12 countries 

United States President Donald Trump has signed an executive order imposing a full travel ban on people from 12 countries.

The banned countries include Afghanistan, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

The White House announced this on Wednesday.  

In addition to the ban, there will be heightened restrictions on people from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

“I must act to protect the national security and national interest of the United States and its people,” Trump said in his order.
The order comes into force on Monday, June 9, 2025 at 12:01am local time in Washington, DC (04:01 GMT). Visas issued before that date will not be revoked, the order said.

In a video message released by the White House, Trump said the recent attack on a pro-Israel rally in Boulder, Colorado had “underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted”.