Trump targets 12 nations with travel ban after Colorado attack
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President Trump signs a new immigration order banning entry from 12 nations, citing security risks.
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US President Donald Trump gestures after speaking during a summer soiree on the South Lawn of the White House, Wednesday, June 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP)
US President Donald Trump has reinstated a sweeping travel ban targeting 12 countries, reviving a hallmark of his earlier immigration agenda and citing national security concerns following a recent attack in Colorado.
Signed on Wednesday, the Trump travel ban 2025 prohibits entry to the United States from countries including Afghanistan, Iran, and Yemen. The decision follows an incident in Colorado in which an Egyptian national, Mohammed Sabry Soliman, attacked pro-Israeli demonstrators using a makeshift flamethrower in protest of the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza.
The new executive order bars travel from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Additionally, Trump's executive order on immigration imposes partial bans on travelers from seven other countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. Certain categories, such as temporary work visa holders, remain exempt under the order, which takes effect Monday.
Trump made the announcement via a video message from the Oval Office, declaring that recent events "underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted." He added, “We don’t want them.”
Attack in Colorado cited as pretext for new ban
The proclamation follows an incident in Colorado where Mohammed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian national, was accused of using a homemade incendiary device at a pro-Israeli demonstration. Authorities alleged that Soliman was in the US illegally and had filed for asylum three years earlier, in 2022.
“We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen,” Trump said, emphasizing the security implications of the Colorado attack.
The Trump travel ban 2025 makes limited exceptions for international athletes competing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, international reactions to the ban were swift. Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello urged citizens to avoid traveling to the United States, warning it posed “a great risk for anyone, not just for Venezuelans.”
As reported by The Guardian, the policy shift has stirred debate within the diplomatic community and raised concerns in several affected countries.
Legal backlash, advocacy pushback
Critics have compared this executive order to Trump’s 2017 Muslim travel ban, which faced extensive legal challenges. Advocacy groups argue that the new policy will again separate families and disrupt lives.
Jamal Abdi, president of the National Iranian American Council, condemned the move: “The impact of the ban will once again be felt by Americans who were denied the ability to see their loved ones at weddings, funerals, or the birth of a child.”
In a related move, Trump also suspended visas for international students enrolling at Harvard University, claiming the institution represents a “liberal stronghold” with “un-American values.” The visa suspension at Harvard is expected to face legal scrutiny.
