President Donald Trump has signed a sweeping order blocking travel to the U.S. from nearly 20 countries identified as high-risk for terrorism, visa abuse and failure to share security information.
The new travel restrictions — announced under Executive Order 14161 — apply to nationals from 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia, Libya and Yemen, all deemed “very high risk” due to terrorist activity, weak or hostile governments, and high visa overstay rates.
Seven more countries, including Venezuela, Cuba and Laos, face partial restrictions.
“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 White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson.
She called the restrictions “commonsense” and targeted at countries that “lack proper vetting, exhibit high visa overstay rates, or fail to share identity and threat information.”
In a video posted Wednesday night, Trump said, “The recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, has underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted, as well as those who come here as temporary visitors and overstay their visas. We don’t want them.”
“In the 21st century, we’ve seen one terror attack after another carried out by foreign visa overstayers from dangerous places all over the world,” he added. “Thanks to Biden’s open-door policies, today there are millions and millions of these illegals who should not be in our country.”
Trump said his first-term travel restrictions were “one of our most successful policies” and “a key part of preventing major foreign terror attacks on American soil.”
Afghanistan, for example, has a student visa overstay rate of 29.3% and is controlled by the Taliban, a designated global terrorist group.
Iran remains a state sponsor of terrorism and has refused cooperation with U.S. authorities. Libya, Somalia and Yemen all lack functioning governments capable of issuing secure documents.
“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,” he concluded. “We will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm, and nothing will stop us from keeping America safe.”
