Trump signed a proclamation which also restricts the travel of people from an additional seven countries.

United States President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation imposing a full travel ban on people from 12 countries and restricting the citizens of seven other countries, The Associated Press news agency reports.

The banned countries include Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

In addition to the ban, which takes effect on Monday, there will be heightened restrictions on people from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

“I must act to protect the national security and national interest of the United States and its people,” Trump said in his proclamation.

During his first term in 2017, Trump issued an executive order banning travel to the US by citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries: Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen.

People from the named countries were either barred from getting on their flights to the US or detained at US airports after they landed. Those affected included tourists, people visiting friends and family, as well as students and faculty in the US and businesspeople.

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The order, often referred to as the “Muslim ban” or the “travel ban”, was reworked amid legal challenges, until a version was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018 which banned categories of travellers and immigrants from Iran, Somalia, Yemen, Syria and Libya, plus North Korean and some Venezuelan government officials and their families.

Trump defended his initial travel ban on national security grounds, arguing it was aimed at protecting the US and claimed it was not anti-Muslim. However, Trump had called for a travel ban on Muslims during his first campaign for the White House.

This is a breaking news story. More to follow shortly.

President Donald Trump is resurrecting the travel ban policy from his first term, signing a proclamation Wednesday night preventing people from a dozen countries from entering the United States. The countries include Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. In addition to the ban, which takes effect at 12:01 a.m. Monday, there will be heightened restrictions on visitors from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.“I must act to protect the national security and national interest of the United States and its people,” Trump said in his proclamation.

The list results from a Jan. 20 executive order Trump issued requiring the departments of State and Homeland Security and the Director of National Intelligence to compile a report on “hostile attitudes” toward the U.S. and whether entry from certain countries represented a national security risk. During his first term, Trump issued an executive order in January 2017 banning travel to the U.S. by citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries — Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen.

It was one of the most chaotic and confusing moments of his young presidency. Travelers from those nations were either barred from getting on their flights to the U.S. or detained at U.S. airports after they landed. They included students and faculty as well as businesspeople, tourists and people visiting friends and family.The order, often referred to as the “Muslim ban” or the “travel ban,” was retooled amid legal challenges, until a version was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.

The ban affected various categories of travelers and immigrants from Iran, Somalia, Yemen, Syria and Libya, plus North Koreans and some Venezuelan government officials and their families. Trump and others have defended the initial ban on national security grounds, arguing it was aimed at protecting the country and not founded on anti-Muslim bias. However, the president had called for an explicit ban on Muslims during his first campaign for the White House.

Trump’s first travel ban caused chaos and pushback – but ultimately went ahead

Image source, Getty Images

Early in Donald Trump’s first term, he announced a ban on travel from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the US.

It followed a campaign promise he made in 2015 for “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on”.

Image source, Getty Images

Thousands of tourists, migrants, business visitors and US green card holders were immediately thrown into limbo at airports around the world, as airlines and global immigration authorities tried to work out the details. Many were turned away mid trip or prevented from boarding flights bound for the US.

The so-called “travel ban” sparked nearly instant pushback, with protesters in cities like New York and Washington DC taking to the streets. Demonstrators for and against the ban also gathered at airports for protests.

Image source, Getty Images

Court rulings temporarily blocked the policy, and the administration revised the order multiple times, variously narrowing or widening its scope.

A 5-4 decision from the Supreme Court in 2018 allowed the ban to continue, overruling lower courts that found it to be unconstitutional.

Trump garnered a major win and it was allowed to take full effect.

President Trump signed a proclamation to ban travel from certain countries on Wednesday evening, citing national security risks, administration officials told CBS News.

The ban will be targeted at specific countries, but will allow for exceptions. It takes effect at 12:01 a.m. Monday.

Mr. Trump’s proclamation fully restricts and limits the entry of nationals from 12 countries: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, the officials said.

It partially restricts the entry of people from seven countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

“President Trump is fulfilling his promise to protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors that want to come to our country and cause us harm. These commonsense restrictions are country-specific and include places that lack proper vetting, exhibit high visa overstay rates, or fail to share identity and threat information. President Trump will always act in the best of interest of the American people and their safety,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told CBS News.

Officials said the action is due to a high level of risk to the United States.

Exceptions allowed under the new travel ban will be for lawful permanent residents, adoptions, dual nationals traveling on a passport from an unrestricted country, Afghan Special Immigrant Visas, foreign nationals traveling on diplomatic, U.N. or NATO visas; athletes or members of athletic teams, including coaches and support staff, and athletes traveling for the World Cup, Olympics or other sporting events; immediate family member immigrant visas, Special Immigrant Visas for U.S. government employees, immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities in Iran, and other national interest exceptions, officials said.

The announcement of the ban follows the attack Sunday in Boulder, Colorado, on marchers raising attention for Israelis taken hostage by Hamas.

In his first term, soon after he took office in January 2017, Mr. Trump signed a travel ban restricting entry by most residents of seven countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. In March 2017, he removed Iraq from the list and added Chad, Venezuela and North Korea. In 2020, he added immigration restrictions against Nigeria, Eritrea, Sudan, Tanzania, Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan. Chad was later removed from the list.

The first-term travel bans were challenged in court, and were altered by the administration. The third and current version of the ban was issued in the fall of 2017 and ultimately upheld by the Supreme Court in the summer of 2018, with the conservative justices citing the president’s broad authority to restrict the entry of foreigners on national security grounds.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

contributed to this report.

CNN —

Trump signed a proclamation Wednesday evening to ban travel from several countries, citing security risks.

The ban will fully restrict entry of nationals from 12 countries: Afghanistan; Myanmar, also known as Burma; Chad; Republic of the Congo; Equatorial Guinea; Eritrea; Haiti; Iran; Libya; Somalia; Sudan; and Yemen.

People from seven countries will have partial restriction: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

The proclamation includes exceptions for lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders, certain visa categories and individuals whose entry serves US national interests.

The president made the final call on signing this proclamation after the antisemitic attack in Boulder, Colorado, according to a White House official. He was considering it beforehand, but Sunday’s assault put it into motion faster.

The White House is touting the new president’s travel ban as “fulfilling” a campaign promise to “protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors that want to come to our country and cause us harm.”

“President Trump is fulfilling his promise to protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors that want to come to our country and cause us harm. These commonsense restrictions are country-specific and include places that lack proper vetting, exhibit high visa overstay rates, or fail to share identity and threat information,” White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson wrote on X.

Wednesday’s proclamation comes less than five months after the president was inaugurated into office for his second term. On his first day in office, he issued an executive order directing cabinet members, including the secretary of state, to compile a list of countries “for which vetting and screening information is so deficient as to warrant a partial or full suspension on the admission of nationals from those countries.”

In his first term, Trump barred travelers from seven majority-Muslim nations from coming to the US, a policy that saw court challenges before President Joe Biden repealed it when he took office in 2021.

The barring of nationals from Afghanistan could impact Afghans who worked alongside the US during its two decades of war there. Tens of thousands of Afghans have already been caught in limbo due to other Trump administration executive orders suspending the US refugee admissions program and the suspension of foreign aid funding for flights of Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders.

This story and headline been updated with additional information.