'We don’t want them': What prompted Trump’s travel ban on 12 nations; Is a rollback on the table?

President Trump has announced a sweeping travel ban impacting nationals from over a dozen countries, citing security concerns and inadequate vetting procedures. The restrictions, implemented through a presidential proclamation, introduce a tiered system of barriers affecting work, study, tourism, and relocation. Exemptions are granted for athletes participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games.

Six months into his presidency, US President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a far-reaching travel ban, saying, "we don't want them." This travel ban, impacting a total of 19 countries, can majorly reshape immigration policy of the United States. It was put forth through a presidential proclamation, the proposed restrictions introduce a three-tiered system of escalating barriers targeting nationals from more than a dozen countries.The measure is among the most aggressive in modern US history regarding global mobility. It has the potential to impact millions of people seeking entry to the United States for purposes including work, study, tourism, and relocation.

Trump's latest decision on travel ban came days after Egyptian national was arrested for attacking a Jewish protest in Colorado's Boulder. In a video message, he said the Boulder incident revealed the dangers posed by unvetted foreign nationals and visa overstayers. "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.

"We don't want them."

A travel ban is a government-imposed restriction that prohibits or limits entry to the United States for citizens of specific countries. These restrictions may include total visa suspensions or targeted limitations on certain visa categories.Trump’s first executive order directed the State Department to identify nations where vetting procedures are inadequate, potentially justifying a full or partial suspension of entry for their nationals. The current proclamation builds on that order and cites a recent attack by an Egyptian national in Colorado's Boulder as additional justification.

A presidential proclamation is a formal announcement by the President. While some proclamations are ceremonial, others --especially during national emergencies, can carry legal and policy weight.Unlike executive orders that direct federal agencies, proclamations often signal sweeping policy shifts. In this case, the White House said, “The Proclamation fully restricts and limits the entry of nationals from 12 countries found to be deficient with regard to screening and vetting and determined to pose a very high risk to the United States.”

As per the White House's statement travel ban announced by Trump administration will go into effect from Monday.

Trump added the latest travel ban was shaped by “foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism goals.” He said the list of restricted countries could change, adding it was “subject to revisions based on whether material improvements are made,” and “new countries could be added as threats emerge around the world.” On the campaign trail last year, Trump had pledged, “I will ban refugee resettlement from terror-infested areas like the Gaza Strip… Remember the famous travel ban?... We’re not taking them from infested countries.”

(As per statements released by White House)

Afghanistan - "The Taliban, a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) group, controls Afghanistan. Afghanistan lacks a competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents and it does not have appropriate screening and vetting measures."

Myanmar (Burma) - "According to the Overstay Report, Burma had a B‑1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 27.07 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 42.17 percent. Additionally, Burma has historically not cooperated with the United States to accept back their removable nationals."

Chad - "According to the Overstay Report, Chad had a B‑1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 49.54 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 55.64 percent. According to the Fiscal Year 2022 Overstay Report, Chad had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 37.12 percent. The high visa overstay rate for 2022 and 2023 is unacceptable and indicates a blatant disregard for United States immigration laws."

Republic of the Congo - "According to the Overstay Report, the Republic of the Congo had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 29.63 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 35.14 percent."

Equatorial Guinea - Recorded a 21.98% overstay rate for B1/B2 visas and 70.18% for student/exchange visas.

Eritrea - "The United States questions the competence of the central authority for issuance of passports or civil documents in Eritrea. Criminal records are not available to the United States for Eritrean nationals."

Haiti - "Hundreds of thousands of illegal Haitian aliens flooded into the United States during the Biden Administration. This influx harms American communities by creating acute risks of increased overstay rates, establishment of criminal networks, and other national security threats."

Iran - "Iran is a state sponsor of terrorism. Iran regularly fails to cooperate with the United States Government in identifying security risks, is the source of significant terrorism around the world, and has historically failed to accept back its removable nationals."

Libya - "There is no competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents in Libya. The historical terrorist presence within Libya’s territory amplifies the risks posed by the entry into the United States of its nationals."

Somalia - " Somalia lacks a competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents and it does not have appropriate screening and vetting measures."

Sudan - "Sudan lacks a competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents and it does not have appropriate screening and vetting measures."

Yemen - "Yemen lacks a competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents and it does not have appropriate screening and vetting measures."

The proclamation also imposes partial restrictions on citizens from seven additional countries identified as posing elevated risks:

Burundi
Cuba
Laos
Sierra Leone
Togo
Turkmenistan
Venezuela

The proclamation outlines various justifications for including these countries:

Lack of document integrity & vetting systems: Nations like Afghanistan, Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Libya, and Venezuela are cited for lacking competent or cooperative authorities to issue credible documents or vet travellers.

High visa overstay rates: Burma, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Burundi, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, and Turkmenistan were flagged for significantly high rates of visa overstays in the US.

Terrorist threats and state-sponsored terrorism: Countries such as Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, Cuba, and others were included due to their ties to terrorism or designation as state sponsors of terrorism.

The travel ban will not apply to athletes participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, or the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, according to Trump’s order.

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