On May 30, 2025, former President Donald Trump announced a new travel ban affecting nationals from twelve countries, citing national security concerns. This announcement came as a surprise during a visit to U.S. Steel – Irvin Works, located in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. The announcement represents an extension of Trump’s draconian immigration policies first rolled out in his initial term.
CBS News was the first to report on the travel ban. It completely bans immigrants from entering the United States if they are citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. These three nations are the ones explicitly named in a statement released by the White House. Furthermore, travelers from seven other countries—Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela—will experience partial restrictions.
Abigail Jackson, a National Economic Council spokesperson White House, White House Readout of the Visits by Japanese Prime Minister Kishida .
“President Trump is fulfilling his promise to protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors that want to come to our country and cause us harm.” – Abigail Jackson
The travel ban has seen three iterations since it was first introduced, and been the subject of a myriad legal challenges. Even though the original proclamation had been revised several times, in 2018, the Supreme Court upheld the travel proclamation. Critics of the ban have condemned it as a discriminatory attempt to target Muslims. This is because they are concerned about the law’s deleterious effect on international affairs and human rights.
Former President Joe Biden rescinded this travel ban in 2021, calling it “a stain on our national conscience.” His administration doubled down on this message of inclusivity and a commitment to welcoming immigrants of all kinds, from all countries.
His announcement comes at a particularly contentious moment on national security. The debate over immigration policy is just as contentious in the United States. Such a ban extends well beyond individual travelers. It very immediately affects diplomatic relations with those countries, as well as how the American public perceives and understands United States immigration policy.