President Trump has introduced a new travel ban affecting 12 countries, along with partial restrictions on seven others, building on the policies he enacted during his first term.
His previous efforts to limit entry into the U.S. from particular nations faced legal opposition and sparked protests at airports nationwide. This time, the administration has established a foundation for the ban through an earlier executive order focused on enhanced reviews.
Here’s a look at how the countries targeted by the new travel restrictions differ from those in Trump’s earlier policies.
Countries under the first travel ban
The original travel ban from Trump’s first term saw several changes after federal courts blocked the initial attempt.
This policy prevented entry into the U.S. from citizens of a significant number of seven Muslim-majority countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. Its implementation led to widespread chaos and was halted by a federal judge.
In the end, the version that was upheld by the Supreme Court prohibited entry from citizens of Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen. Chad was later removed from the list after the administration claimed it met security standards.
Upon taking office, former President Biden repealed Trump’s travel ban.
What’s different about the new travel ban?
Notably, Syria and North Korea are no longer on the list in Trump’s latest travel ban, which is set to begin on Monday.
During his first term, Trump built a relatively friendly rapport with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, even holding two in-person summits.
Last month, the president stated he would lift sanctions against Syria following the ouster of dictator Bashar Assad in December, a decision he attributed to encouragement from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The countries of Chad, Iran, Somalia, Libya, and Yemen have been reinstated on the travel ban list, while Venezuela is one of seven nations facing “partial” restrictions.
Who will be impacted?
Overall, the travel ban announced on Wednesday will impact 19 countries.
Citizens from 12 nations are subject to a complete travel ban, which includes Afghanistan, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
The remaining seven countries have a partial restriction on entry into the U.S. These are Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
Reports suggest that the State Department has issued around 170,000 visas to individuals from the 12 countries now included in the ban, mostly for tourism, business, or research purposes.
