The U.S. government under President Donald Trump imposes sweeping immigration restrictions targeting 12 countries, with partial limits on 7 others, as part of an aggressive policy to bolster national security and prevent terrorism.
Washington, DC [US], June 5: In a move that marks a sharp escalation of immigration control under the guise of national security, U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a sweeping proclamation banning the entry of foreign nationals from 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, and Libya, while imposing partial restrictions on another seven nations. The decision, released by the White House on Tuesday, is being justified on grounds of “public safety and national security.”
The proclamation bars the entry of immigrants and nonimmigrants from Afghanistan, Myanmar (Burma), Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Simultaneously, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela face limited or conditional entry.
In his proclamation, Trump noted:
“During my first Administration, I restricted the entry of foreign nationals into the United States, which successfully prevented national security threats from reaching our borders and which the Supreme Court upheld.”
He reiterated that Executive Order 14161, issued on January 20, 2025, outlined a renewed focus on preventing entry of individuals who might commit terrorist attacks, threaten national interests, or misuse U.S. immigration systems.
Trump warned that visa processing must be approached with vigilance, to ensure applicants do not harbor hostile views or affiliations with terror groups.
“The U.S. must ensure that admitted aliens… do not bear hostile attitudes toward its citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles,” he stated.
He also stressed the differing risks posed by immigrants versus nonimmigrants, arguing that immigrants—once granted lawful permanent resident status—are far more difficult to remove than nonimmigrants, even if security concerns emerge.
“Lawful permanent residents are more difficult to remove… which increases the costs and aggravates the dangers of errors,” Trump noted.
The proclamation asserts that countries lacking proper identity verification and information-sharing protocols cannot be trusted to vet their nationals sufficiently, thus putting the U.S. at risk.
As part of the official rationale, Trump cited specific justifications for banning entry from each of the 12 countries.
For example:
- Afghanistan is described as lacking a competent central authority, being controlled by the Taliban, and failing to provide reliable passport or civil documentation systems.
- Myanmar (Burma) has been penalized for its high visa overstay rates, including a B1/B2 overstay rate of 27.07% and a student visa overstay rate of 42.17%. Additionally, it has historically refused to cooperate in repatriating its removable nationals.
The White House emphasized that the latest restrictions are also designed to pressure foreign governments into greater cooperation on U.S. immigration vetting standards and counterterrorism coordination.
“The restrictions and limitations imposed by this proclamation are required to garner cooperation from foreign governments, enforce our immigration laws, and advance other important foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism objectives,” the proclamation concludes.
The directive is likely to draw significant domestic and international scrutiny, reigniting debate around the ethics and legality of broad-based immigration bans, a controversial hallmark of Trump’s first term. Critics are expected to challenge the order in courts, echoing legal battles that followed similar bans during his previous administration.
Whether these new policies withstand judicial review remains to be seen—but the message is unmistakable: under Trump, immigration policy will be driven by an uncompromising national security-first framework.