The new ban issued by President Donald Trump for traveling to the United States by 12 African and Middle Eastern citizens took effect on Monday, a move that comes as the president's escalating immigration enforcement actions sparked tensions.
This new decree signed by Trump last week applies to citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. At the same time, stricter restrictions have been imposed on citizens of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuelan who are outside the United States and do not hold a valid visa.
According to guidance documents issued to all U.S. diplomatic agencies on Friday, the new ban will not revoke visas previously issued to citizens of the listed countries. But starting Monday, applicants will be denied unless they meet the strict standards of the injunction exemption. Travelers who already hold a visa should still be able to enter the United States even after the ban comes into effect.
During Trump's first term, a hastily signed executive order banned citizens of major Muslim countries from entering the country, causing chaos in multiple airports and ports of entry, eventually triggering successful legal proceedings and prompting substantial changes to the policy.
There was no immediate obvious chaos at Los Angeles International Airport within hours of the new ban.
Haitian-American Elvanis Louis-Just said while waiting for a flight to his hometown of Florida at Newark Airport in New Jersey earlier Sunday that many Haitians who want to come to the United States are just trying to escape violence and unrest.
I have family in Haiti, so it's very disturbing to see and hear these messages," said Louis Just, 23, of the travel ban. "I don't think it's a good thing, it's very frustrating.
Many immigration experts say the new ban, with a more careful formulation, appears to be aimed at circumventing the legal challenges that have previously hindered the first edition of the ban.
Trump said this time that some countries have "flaws" in the review of passports and other public documents, or have historically refused to accept their own citizens back home. He made extensive reference to the Department of Homeland Security’s annual report on people stranded in the United States after their visa expires.
For decades, the calculation of visa overdue retention rates has plagued experts, but since 2016, the government has made limited attempts every year. Trump's announcement listed the overdue retention rate of 8 of the 12 banned countries.
Trump also linked the new ban to terrorist attacks in Boulder, Colorado, saying it highlights the dangers of stranded visitors on visas. U.S. officials said the man accused of participating in the attack had been stranded on a tourist visa. The man is from Egypt, and the country is not on Trump's restrictive list.
The ban was quickly condemned by groups that provide assistance and resettlement services to refugees.
"This policy has nothing to do with national security—it is intended to create division and discredit those seeking security and opportunities in the United States," said Abby Maxman, president of the US chapter of Oxfam, an international nonprofit rescue organization.
Inclusion of Afghanistan in the ban has angered some supporters working to resettle refugees in the country. But the ban does provide exceptions to Afghans holding special immigration visas, which are usually issued to those who work the closest to the U.S. government during the twenty-year-long Afghan war.
Afghanistan was once one of the largest sources of refugee resettlement, with approximately 14,000 people arriving in the 12 months ending September 2024. Trump suspended his refugee resettlement plan on the first day of his tenure.
