Trump signs proclamation banning travel from 12 countries

Washington: US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Wednesday banning travel from certain countries citing national security concerns.

The proclamation fully restricts and limits the entry of nationals from 12 countries: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

The entry of people from seven other countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela, will be partially restricted, the official said. The travel proclamation was first reported by CBS News.

"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, a White House spokesperson, said on X.

The countries facing the total ban were found "to be deficient with regards to screening and vetting and determined to pose a very high risk to the United States," according to a statement provided by the White House.

During his first term in office, Trump announced a ban on travelers from seven majority-Muslim nations, a policy that went through several iterations before it was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.

Former President Joe Biden, a Democrat who succeeded Trump, repealed the ban in 2021, calling it "a stain on our national conscience."