Trump travel ban: A complete list of 12 banned countries; what Indian travellers need to know

Big update coming from the Trump administration! Donald Trump has announced a travel ban on 12 countries and a partial travel ban on 7 countries in the wake of the Colorado attack on a pro-Israel group. The US President has signed a proclamation which prohibits citizens from these 12 nations from entering the US, citing national security reasons. It’s a complete restriction.

The fully banned 12 countries are:

AfghanistanMyanmarChadRepublic of the CongoEquatorial GuineaEritreaHaitiIranLibyaSomaliaSudan Yemen

The partially banned 7 countries are:

BurundiCubaLaosSierra LeoneTogoTurkmenistanVenezuelaThe proclamation limits immigrant and nonimmigrant visas (B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, J) due to high rates of overstaying or insufficient law enforcement collaboration.In his proclamation, Trump said, "We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen... That is why today I am signing a new executive order placing travel restrictions on countries including Yemen, Somalia, Haiti, Libya, and numerous others".But he also said, “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.” The Oval Office also posted a video message on X where Trump is saying, "The recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado has underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted. We don't want them".Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesperson, also took to X and wrote, "President Trump is fulfilling his promise to protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors that want to come to our country and cause us harm."

Major reasons behind the ban

Explaining the reason behind such a big and bold step, the White House pointed to critical issues like the Taliban's control in Afghanistan, government-supported terrorism in Iran and Cuba, along with the rise in illegal migration from Haiti during Biden's term. Countries such as Chad and Eritrea were also highlighted because many of their citizens stayed in the U.S. longer than their visas allowed, breaking immigration rules.