LAST UPDATE | 5 Jun

US PRESIDENT DONALD Trump has signed a new travel ban targeting 12 countries including Afghanistan, Iran and Yemen, reviving one of the most controversial measures from his first term.

The announcement was made this morning with virtually no warning and has been met with concern from some of the targeted countries, and condemned as “racist” by Amnesty International USA. 

The move bans all travel to the United States by nationals of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

Trump also said he would “partially restrict and limit the entry” of nationals from seven countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela, although some temporary work visas from these countries will be allowed.

The bans go into effect on Monday, the White House said.

Trump said the measure was spurred by the makeshift flamethrower attack in Colorado that US authorities blamed on a man they said had overstayed his visa.

“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,” Trump said in a video message from the Oval Office posted on X.

“We don’t want ‘em.”

Trump compared the new measures to the “powerful” ban he imposed on a number of mainly Muslim countries in his first term, which caused travel disruption across the world.

Trump said that his 2017 ban was “one of our most successful policies” and had stopped the United States from suffering terror attacks like those that have happened in Europe.

“We will not let what happened in Europe happen in America,” Trump said.

“We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen.”

‘Racist and downright cruel’ 

Amnesty International USA condemned the ban in a post on X, calling it “discriminatory, racist, and downright cruel.”

It said that “by targeting people based on their nationality, this ban only spreads disinformation and hate.”

The ban could face legal challenges, as have many of the drastic measures Trump has taken since his whirlwind return to office in January.

The African Union (AU) said it was concerned about the “negative impacts” of the ban.

In a statement, the AU said it would harm “people-to-people ties, educational exchange, commercial engagement, and broader diplomatic relations” built with the US over decades.

It appealed to Washington to adopt a “consultative approach and to engage in constructive dialogue with the countries concerned”.

Venezuela warned its citizens that travelling to the United States would now amount to taking a “great risk”.

“Being in the United States is a great risk for anyone, not just for Venezuelans,” Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said.

World Cup, Olympics excluded 

The ban will not apply to athletes competing in the 2026 World Cup, which the United States is co-hosting with Canada and Mexico, or the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Iranian football fans have expressed their dismay at the news of the ban. 

“My friends and I have been waiting for years to watch Team Melli (a nickname for the national team) play in a World Cup on US soil, and when they qualified, it felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Sohrab Naderi, a real estate agent in Tehran, told AFP.

“Now with the new travel ban, that dream is shattered because of politics that we don’t care about and have no control over,” said the 46-year-old who attended the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which saw the US side defeat Iran 1-0 in the group stage.

Iran, with which the United States is in negotiations on a possible nuclear deal, was included on the list as it is a “state sponsor of terrorism,” Trump’s order said.

“The impact of the ban will once again be felt by Americans who were denied the ability to see their loved ones at weddings, funerals, or the birth of a child,” said National Iranian American Council president Jamal Abdi.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson said:”President Trump is fulfilling his promise to protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors that want to come to our country and cause us harm.”

Trump’s proclamation gave specific reasons for bans on each of the countries.

For Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and war-torn Libya, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen, it said they lacked “competent” central authorities for processing passports and vetting.

For most of the other countries, Trump’s order cited an above average likelihood that people would overstay their visas.

With reporting from AFP