Trump Signs Sweeping New Travel Ban Targeting High-Risk Countries
President Donald Trump has signed a new executive order imposing broad travel restrictions on nearly 20 countries deemed high-risk for terrorism, visa overstays, and failure to share critical security information with the United States.
The measure, Executive Order 14161, blocks or limits entry to the U.S. for nationals from 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia, Libya, and Yemen. According to the White House, these nations are classified as “very high risk” due to terrorist activity, weak or hostile governments, and consistently high visa overstay rates.
Seven additional countries — including Venezuela, Cuba, and Laos — will face partial restrictions under the order.
“President Trump is fulfilling his promise to protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors that want to come to our country and cause us harm,” said Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson.
She described the order as “commonsense” and said it targets countries that “lack proper vetting, exhibit high visa overstay rates, or fail to share identity and threat information.”
In a video released Wednesday evening, Trump referenced a recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, calling it a stark reminder of the threat posed by inadequately vetted foreign nationals and visa overstayers.
“The recent terror attack in Boulder has underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted,” Trump said. “We don’t want them.”
He also criticized the Biden administration’s immigration policies, claiming they have enabled “millions” of undocumented immigrants to remain in the country unlawfully. Trump described his first-term travel bans as “one of our most successful policies” and credited them with helping prevent major terror attacks on U.S. soil.
Citing specific concerns, the administration pointed to Afghanistan’s student visa overstay rate of 29.3% and its Taliban-led government, which is designated as a global terrorist group. Iran, a longtime U.S. adversary, was noted for its status as a state sponsor of terrorism and its refusal to cooperate with American authorities. Countries like Libya, Somalia, and Yemen were described as lacking functioning governments capable of issuing secure travel documentation.
“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 said. “That is why today I am signing a new executive order placing travel restrictions on countries including Yemen, Somalia, Haiti, Libya, and numerous others.”
The order, which is expected to face legal challenges similar to those that followed Trump’s 2017 travel ban, is part of the former president’s broader push to refocus U.S. immigration policy around national security.
“We will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm,” Trump said. “And nothing will stop us from keeping America safe.”
With input from Fox News
