U.S. President Donald Trump, during remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast held at the U.S. Capitol on February 6, 2025, confirmed a new proclamation that bans or restricts the entry of nationals from 19 countries into the United States. The policy, which he signed on Wednesday evening, will take effect on June 9, 2025, at 12:01 a.m. EDT (5:01 a.m. Nigerian time).
According to the proclamation, citizens from 12 countries — Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen — will face full entry bans. These individuals will be entirely restricted from entering U.S. territory.
In addition, the directive imposes partial restrictions on nationals from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela, limiting their access based on specific security criteria and visa classifications.
President Trump explained the sweeping immigration order as a necessary step to safeguard the United States from potential threats posed by “foreign terrorists” and insecure migration systems. In a video posted on social media platform X, Trump stated:
> “We will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm.”
The president emphasized that the list of affected countries could be revised over time, with the possibility of new additions or changes based on evolving national security assessments. Countries facing the harshest restrictions, he said, were identified as harboring a “large-scale presence of terrorists.” Others reportedly failed to meet U.S. standards for cooperation on visa security, including deficiencies in identity verification, poor criminal record documentation, and high rates of visa overstays.
“We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen those who seek to enter the United States,” Trump added.
This latest policy marks a continuation of Trump’s broader immigration crackdown, which he launched during the early days of his second term. In an executive order signed on January 20, 2025, Trump called for heightened security vetting of all foreign nationals entering the country. He directed several cabinet officials to compile a list of countries whose visa security and traveler verification systems were considered inadequate, recommending full or partial travel suspensions.
The move echoes Trump’s controversial 2017 travel ban during his first term, which restricted travelers from seven Muslim-majority nations. Though the ban drew widespread backlash at the time, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld it in 2018. Trump’s successor, President Joe Biden, reversed the policy in 2021, denouncing it as “a stain on our national conscience.”
Trump’s new travel restrictions are expected to spark significant international and domestic debate, as the administration defends the measures as essential to national security while critics warn of potential human rights and diplomatic implications.
