CNN
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On Wednesday, the White House announced a widespread new travel ban on citizens from 12 countries, reviving decisive efforts to crack down on entries from certain countries from the first Trump administration.
In a video posted Wednesday, Trump said a new country could be added to the travel ban as “threats are appearing around the world.”
12 eligible countries, plus seven more parts, are partially restricted – most have cold, hostile or externally hostile ties with Washington. Many are either the suffering of failed states or oppressive control, and some are controlled by the groups we controlled after years of involvement in their problems.
“Frankly, we want to keep the bad people away from our country,” Trump said Thursday. “The Biden administration has allowed the scary people, and we're bringing them out one by one. We won't stop until we put them out.”
With all but four of the 19 countries struck by restrictions, the administration pointed to a high rate of citizens overstaying visas after entering the United States.
Visa exaggeration has been under new scrutiny since Boulder, Colorado, attacked a group in solidarity with the Israeli hostage held by Hamas in Gaza last weekend. The suspect in the attack was originally from Egypt and was not on Wednesday's travel ban list. He received two years of work approval that expired in March, Homeland Security (DHS) officials said.
Seven countries were included as the administration determined that it had posed a “high level of risk” to the United States: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
The travel ban does not cover existing visas or green card holders, and also includes some visa categories and carve-outs for people that serve our interests.
The impact varies greatly from country to country. Some countries only receive hundreds of non-immigrant visas per year, while others have hundreds of thousands of people entering the United States over the past decade.
Travel to the United States is completely restricted for citizens of Chad, Sudan, Libya, Eritrea, the Republic of the Congo, Somalia and Equatorial Guinea. Meanwhile, partial restrictions are imposed on the citizens of Burundi, Togo and Sierra Leone.
The US does not issue a large number of visas to most of these countries. In 2023, only hundreds or even thousands were given to immigrant and non-immigrant visas, respectively, according to State Department data.
The White House said Somalia has been identified as a “safe shelter for terrorists.” This year, the US carried out airstrikes in Somalia against joint counterterrorism efforts with its citizens.
Relations with Sudan have deteriorated. Last month, the Trump administration said it would impose sanctions on the military-led Sudanese government after it realized it had used chemical weapons during its ongoing war with rival military forces last year. The United States has failed to end the conflict that has been raging for two years by brokering a ceasefire, killing tens of thousands of people.
The White House also has a calm relationship with Chad, demanding the removal of American troops from their territory last year, and accusing Eritrea of committing war crimes in 2023 during a conflict in northern Ethiopia.
Similar responsibilities are being made by the US State Department against Libya's State Department and non-state actors, which are accused of committing crimes against humanity.
Chad had one of the vast fees for visas in the country included in the ban. According to the DHS, about half of those recognized by the US from Central African countries continued their visas in the fiscal year 2023, but the number of Chadians granted such visas was relatively small. The White House said Wednesday that Chad's overstay rate was “unacceptable and indicates a blatant disregard for U.S. immigration law.”
Chad's President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno said on Facebook that he told the government to “act according to the principles of reciprocity” by suspending visas to US citizens.
“Chad has no institutions to offer, and no billions of dollars to give, but Chad has dignity and pride,” he added.
The African Union Commission said it was “concerned” about the impact of the ban on people-to-people bonds, education exchange, commercial engagement and wider diplomatic relations that have been carefully nurtured for decades.
“The African Union Commission respects us to balance and properly exercise this in an evidence-based and reflective way, recognizing the sovereign rights of all nations to protect borders and ensure the safety of our citizens,” the statement said.
Afghanistan, Iran, Yemen
The ban targeted three Middle Eastern enemies that the US would either restrict diplomatic relations or have none at all.
The United States does not formally recognize the Taliban as the official government of Afghanistan. The extremist group recovered power in 2021 amid a chaotic and fatal withdrawal of US troops under the Biden administration. Afghans who supported the US government during their two-year involvement in the Washington country are exempt from the ban. They fall under a special immigration visa program that has allocated over 50,000 visas since 2009.
The Trump administration targeted Yemeni Hooty rebels with airstrikes a few weeks earlier this year, in response to groups destroying attacks in the Red Sea and trade routes. Houthis controls much of western Yemen, including its capital Sanaa.
Haiti, Cuba, Venezuela
Haiti has been suffering from violent unrest for years. The gangs have managed at least 85% of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and have launched attacks in the central regions of the country in recent years. The violence has displaced more than a million Haitians internally.
Two other Latin American countries – Cuba and Venezuela – face restrictions, but Trump has stopped enforcing the full ban. The move comes a week after the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to allow half a million people from both countries to live and work in the United States for a temporary living and work each year.
Trump in March revoked temporary humanitarian parole for around 300,000 Cubans amid a record number of immigrants from the Caribbean. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parila on Thursday said the ban “has a racist undertone” and “damages personal, professional, academic and cultural exchanges between the two countries.”
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Ivan Gil Pinto called the travel ban issued against Venezuelan citizens “a hate and stigmatization operation” in a statement released Thursday.
Of all eligible countries, new restrictions could have the most impact on Venezuelans. According to the State Department, more than 55,000 people from Venezuela entered the United States to receive non-immigrant visas and enter the United States, with a total of nearly 800,000 Venezuelans being given such visas.
Myanmar and Laos
The White House said that both Laos and Myanmar were also known as Burma, and could not cooperate with the United States on the return of its citizens.
The Myanmar ruling military junta has been forced to carry on brutal civil wars throughout the Southeast Asian country for the past four years, sending columns of troops to torches and bombing villages, massacre the inhabitants, imprisoning the enemy, and joining young men and women in the army.
The junta, led by a widely condemned army chief, overthrew Aung San Suu Chai's democratically elected government and established himself as a leader, further disrupted by a devastating earthquake in March.
Meanwhile, the US and Laos have a complicated history that has been hampered by US bombings during the war in Vietnam. But relationships have improved dramatically this century, with the US partnership being one of the most stable and productive of all 19 countries subject to Wednesday's ban.
After the Molotov cocktail attack in Boulder, Colorado, Egypt escaped inclusion in the travel ban, despite the rapid promotion of restrictions after Egyptian citizens were charged with attempted murder.
Egypt has long been an important partner in the Middle Eastern United States. Cairo and Washington's relationship dates back to 1922, when Egypt gained independence from Britain, and has continued ever since.
According to the US Embassy in Egypt, around 450 Egyptians travel to the United States annually with professional and academic exchange programs.
“Egypt is a country we deal with very closely. They have something that we are under control. A country we don't control,” Trump told reporters Thursday.
The Arab state was also historically the second largest recipient of US military aid, after Israel. According to the US Embassy, since 1978, the United States has provided more than $50 billion in military aid to Egypt, some of which has been occasionally withheld due to the country's human rights records.
