US President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation banning the nationals of 12 countries from entering the United States, saying the move was needed to protect against "foreign terrorists" and other security threats.

The directive is part of an immigration crackdown Trump launched this year at the start of his second term, which has also included the deportation to El Salvador of hundreds of Venezuelans suspected of being gang members and efforts to deny enrolments of some foreign students and deport others.

The countries affected by the latest travel ban are Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

The entry of people from seven other countries – Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela – will be partially restricted.

"We will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm," Trump said in a video posted on X.

He said the list could be revised and new countries could be added.

The proclamation is effective from June 9, 2025 at 12.01 am EDT (0401 GMT).

During his first term in office, Trump announced a ban on travellers from seven majority-Muslim nations, a policy that went through several iterations before it was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.

Former President Joe Biden, a Democrat who succeeded Trump, repealed that ban on nationals from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen in 2021, calling it "a stain on our national conscience".

Trump said the countries subject to the most severe restrictions were determined to harbour a "large-scale presence of terrorists," fail to cooperate on visa security and have an inability to verify travellers' identities, inadequate record-keeping of criminal histories and high rates of visa overstays in the United States.

"We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen those who seek to enter the United States," Trump said.

He cited Sunday's incident in Boulder, Colorado in which a man tossed a gasoline bomb into a crowd of pro-Israel demonstrators as an example of why the new restrictions are needed.

An Egyptian national, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, has been charged in the attack. Federal officials said Soliman had overstayed his tourist visa and had an expired work permit – although Egypt is not on the list of countries facing travel limits.

Somalia immediately pledged to work with the US to address security issues.

"Somalia values its longstanding relationship with the United States and stands ready to engage in dialogue to address the concerns raised," Dahir Hassan Abdi, the Somali ambassador to the United States, said.

Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, a close ally of President Nicolas Maduro, responded by describing the US government as fascist and warning Venezuelans of being in the US.

"The truth is being in the United States is a big risk for anybody, not just for Venezuelans … They persecute our countrymen, our people for no reason."

A spokesperson for the Taliban-led Afghan foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment on how it would handle the thousands of Afghans waiting in Islamabad who had been in the pipeline for US resettlement.

Calls early to the spokesperson of Myanmar's military government were not answered. The foreign ministry of Laos did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The travel ban threatens to upend a 31-year-old Myanmar teacher's plan to join a US State Department exchange program, which was slated to start in September.

"It is not easy to apply nor get accepted as we needed several recommendation letters," said the teacher, who currently lives in Thailand and asked not to be named because her visa application is still outstanding.

"In my case, I would get to work at universities that provide digital education," she said, adding that she had not been updated by the program after Trump's announcement.

Trump's directive is part of an immigration crackdown that he launched at the start of his second term.

He previewed his plan in an October 2023 speech, pledging to restrict people from the Gaza Strip, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and "anywhere else that threatens our security".

Trump issued an executive order on January 20 requiring intensified security vetting of any foreigners seeking admission to the US to detect national security threats.

That order directed several cabinet members to submit a list of countries from which travel should be partly or fully suspended because their "vetting and screening information is so deficient".

What you need to know about Trump's new travel ban

When dies it come into effect?

The proclamation signed by Trump comes into effect on June 9, 2025 at 12.01am EDT (0401 GMT).

Who does it apply to?

The proclamation states that the full and partial travel bans apply to foreign nationals of the designated countries who:

• are outside the United States on June 9, and
• do not have a valid visa on June 9

The proclamation also states: No immigrant or non-immigrant visa issued before June 9 "shall be revoked pursuant to this proclamation."

Which countries are subjected to a full travel ban?

• Afghanistan
• Myanmar
• Chad
• Republic of the Congo
• Equatorial Guinea
• Eritrea
• Haiti
• Iran
• Libya
• Somalia
• Sudan
• Yemen

Which countries are subjected to a partial travel ban?

The following countries are subjected to the suspension of the entry of immigrants, and people on the following temporary visas: B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas:

• Burundi
• Cuba
• Laos
• Sierra Leone
• Togo
• Turkmenistan
• Venezuela

Are there any exceptions to the travel bans?

Exceptions to the travel ban include:

• Any lawful permanent resident of the United States
• Dual nationals
• Diplomats travelling on valid non-immigrant visas
• Athletes or members of an athletic team and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event
• Immediate family immigrant visas
• Adoptions
• Afghan Special Immigrant Visas
• Special Immigrant Visas for United States government employees
• Immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran