U.S. President Donald Trump has re-introduced the infamous “Muslim travel ban” targeting multiple Muslim-majority countries in a move he said protects against “foreign terrorists” and other security threats.
The news has sparked a wave of panic across communities of nationalities which are affected by the ban.
Some countries are subjected to a full travel ban, while others are under a partial ban – with the order allowing countries to be removed or added from the list depending on what Trump wants at any given time.
In a video announcement published on X, Trump said Sunday’s attack in Colorado had shown “the extreme dangers” of “foreign nationals who are not properly vetted, as well as those who “overstay their visas.”
The attack by an Egyptian national “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,” he said.
The ban mimics a similar one imposed by Trump in 2017, during his first stint at the White House.
This banned citizens from entering the U.S. from seven predominantly Muslim countries, most of whom remain on the new list.
Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated on the latest news and updates from around the Muslim world!
Trump’s 2025 proclamation bans nationals from the following countries to travel to the U.S.:
• Afghanistan
• Myanmar
• Chad
• Republic of the Congo
• Equatorial Guinea
• Eritrea
• Haiti
• Iran
• Libya
• Somalia
• Sudan
• Yemen
The following seven countries are also affected but by a partial ban instead:
• Burundi
• Cuba
• Laos
• Sierra Leone
• Togo
• Turkmenistan
• Venezuela
Both bans will affect foreign nationals from the designated countries who are outside the U.S. on June 9 or do not have a valid visa.
Visas issued before June 9 when the law comes into force will remain valid, the proclamation states.
The announcement has sparked condemnation, including from prominent American-Muslim groups.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organisation, today responded saying the ban was “unnecessary, overbroad and ideologically motivated.”
In a statement, CAIR’s National Executive Director Nihad Awad said:
“President Trump’s new travel ban targeting mostly Muslim and African nations and raising the specter of more vague free speech restrictions is overbroad, unnecessary and ideologically motivated.
Automatically banning students, workers, tourists, and other citizens of these targeted nations from coming to the United States will not make our nation safer. Neither will imposing vague ideological screening tests that the government can easily abuse to ban immigrants based on their religious identity and political activism.”
CAIR additionally offered advise to community members impacted by the ban, advising to: consult an immigration attorney, avoid non-essential travel, maintain documents securely, and stay informed and be educated about your rights.
