The Voice News:WASHINGTON — In a move that marks a dramatic return to one of the most contentious policies of his first term, President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a sweeping executive order reinstating and expanding the travel ban, this time targeting a total of 19 countries.
The new order completely bars entry into the United States for citizens from 12 nations—primarily located in the Middle East and Africa. These countries include Afghanistan, Myanmar (formerly Burma), Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
In addition to the full bans, the administration has imposed more limited travel restrictions on seven other nations, which the White House has not yet publicly disclosed in detail.
Trump, who made immigration control a cornerstone of both his 2016 and 2024 presidential campaigns, had pledged to reinstate and broaden the controversial travel restrictions he first introduced early in his presidency. His supporters argue the ban is a necessary step to protect national security, while critics have long condemned it as discriminatory and harmful to America’s global standing.
The White House defended the move as a response to what it calls “persistent security and information-sharing failures” by the listed nations. However, immigrant advocacy groups and civil rights organizations have already vowed to challenge the executive order in court, citing concerns over religious and ethnic discrimination, particularly against Muslim-majority countries.
This latest action is likely to spark renewed legal and political battles, reminiscent of the intense backlash and legal disputes that surrounded Trump’s initial travel ban in 2017, parts of which were eventually upheld by the Supreme Court.