Trump Signs Sweeping Travel Ban Blocking Entry

Apart from enforcing extensive limitations and bans on travelers from 19 countries, President Donald Trump has threatened to make Egypt the next target.

Citizens of Afghanistan, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen are prohibited from entering the United States by the new order, which will go into effect on June 9.

Citizens of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela will have their access to all immigrant visas and several non-immigrant travel options partially restricted.

Trump also threatened to add Egypt to the list of nations that are banned from flying in the wake of the Colorado terror attack, in which an Egyptian national who had overstayed his visa allegedly set fire to pro-Israel demonstrators.

Trump stated bluntly in a video that was made public soon after the ban was announced, “We don’t want ’em.”

“To put it plainly, we cannot allow open migration from any nation where we are unable to safely and consistently screen and vet.”

When Mohamed Soliman was charged with firebombing pro-Israel demonstrators, he was living in the United States illegally with his wife and five children.

Many of his top national security officials have been directed by the president to investigate the possibility of including Egypt on the list of nations that are subject to restrictions.

In a proclamation on Wednesday, he stated, “Given the current circumstances, the Secretary of State, after consulting with the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Director of National Intelligence, shall furnish me with an update to the review of the practices and procedures of Egypt.”

According to Trump, their work should “confirm the adequacy of its current screening and vetting capabilities.”

Regarding the Boulder tragedy, he stated that he “understood the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted.”

“Terrorist attacks by foreign visa overstayers have been occurring one after the other. Today, there are millions and millions of illegal immigrants who shouldn’t be in our country because of Biden’s open door policies.

Egypt is on high alert because several of the nations that are restricted have been singled out because of their poor vetting and screening capabilities.

Trump noted that the addition of Afghanistan, Eritrea, Libya, Sudan, and Yemen to the restricted list was a result of insufficient screening and vetting processes.

“President Trump is keeping his promise to protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors who want to come to our country and cause us harm,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson wrote on X.

“Countries that lack adequate vetting, have high visa overstay rates, or fail to share identity and threat information are included in these commonsense restrictions, which are country-specific.”

“President Trump will always act to ensure the safety and well-being of the American people.”

During his first term in office, Trump announced that citizens of seven countries with a majority of Muslims would not be allowed to travel. After several iterations, the Supreme Court upheld the policy in 2018.

Former President Joe Biden, a Democrat who succeeded Trump, revoked the ban in 2021, calling it “a stain on our national conscience.”

Trump, however, commended the success of his initial travel restrictions in 2017 in his proclamation.

The president wrote, “I successfully prevented national security threats from reaching our borders by restricting the entry of foreign nationals into the United States during my first Administration, which the Supreme Court upheld.”

“The United States has a policy of protecting its citizens from foreigners who plan to carry out terrorist attacks, pose a threat to our national security, promote hateful ideologies, or otherwise take advantage of the immigration laws for malicious ends.”

“The United States must exercise caution when issuing visas to make sure that foreign nationals who are granted entry into the country have no malicious intent against Americans or our national interests.”

More importantly, the United States must identify such foreigners before permitting them to enter the nation.

“The United States must make sure that foreigners who are admitted and those who are already in the country do not harbor animosity toward its people, culture, government, institutions, or founding ideals, nor do they support, encourage, or aid designated foreign terrorists or other threats to our national security.”