President Donald Trump signed a presidential proclamation on Wednesday reinstating a travel ban that fully prohibits entry into the United States for nationals of 12 countries, effective today, June 9.

The move is part of the administration’s intensified immigration and national security policy, aimed at preventing entry from nations deemed to pose significant security risks due to terrorism, inadequate vetting, and poor cooperation on identity verification.

The countries subject to the full ban are Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.

Citizens from these countries will face a complete suspension of both immigrant and non-immigrant visa applications, including tourist, student, and work visas.

In addition, the proclamation imposes partial travel restrictions on nationals from seven other countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. These partial restrictions limit certain visa categories but allow some temporary visa applications to proceed.

President Trump justified the ban by citing the need to "safeguard Americans from hazardous foreign elements," emphasizing concerns about terrorism and security lapses.

He pointed to recent incidents, including a terrorist attack in Boulder, Colorado, as underscoring the dangers posed by insufficiently vetted foreign nationals and visa overstays.

Trump stated, "We will not permit individuals who intend to harm us to enter our nation," and indicated that the list of banned countries could be updated in the future.

The proclamation applies only to individuals outside the United States without a valid visa at the time of the order and does not revoke visas already issued.

This policy echoes Trump’s previous travel bans during his first term, which faced legal challenges but were ultimately upheld by the Supreme Court.

The announcement has sparked a range of international reactions, from diplomaticcaution to outright condemnation, with some affected nations denouncing the ban as unjust and discriminatory. Other stated that it was an act of racism.

This latest travel ban marks a significant escalation in the Trump administration’s efforts to control immigration through stringent vetting and restrictions, reaffirming a policy direction that critics say disproportionately targets certain regions and ethnic groups.