Trump travel ban in effect, citizens from 12 nations barred from US
The move is expected to disrupt refugee pathways and further restrict immigration as the Trump administration expands its crackdown on illegal entries.
Many of the nations covered by the restrictions have adversarial relations with the United States, such as Iran and Afghanistan, while others face severe crises, like Haiti and Libya.
In announcing his restrictions last week, Trump said the new measure was spurred by a recent "terrorist attack" on Jews in Colorado.
The group had been protesting in solidarity with hostages held in Gaza when they were assaulted by a man the White House said had overstayed his visa.
That attack, Trump said, "underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted" or who overstay their visas.
The move bans all travel to the United States by nationals of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, according to the White House.
Trump also imposed a partial ban on travelers from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. Some temporary work visas from those countries will be allowed.
New countries could be added, Trump warned, "as threats emerge around the world."
Mehria, a 23-year-old woman from Afghanistan who applied for refugee status, said the new rules have trapped her and many other Afghans in uncertainty.
"We gave up thousands of hopes and our entire lives... on a promise from America, but today we are suffering one hell after another," she told AFP.
World Cup, Olympics, diplomats excluded
The ban will not apply to athletes competing in the 2026 World Cup, which the United States is co-hosting with Canada and Mexico, or in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Trump's order said.
Nor will it apply to diplomats from the targeted countries.
United Nations rights chief Volker Turk warned that "the broad and sweeping nature of the new travel ban raises concerns from the perspective of international law."
US Democratic lawmakers and elected officials blasted the ban as draconian and unconstitutional.
"I know the pain that Trump's cruel and xenophobic travel bans inflict because my family has felt it firsthand," congresswoman Yassamin Ansari, who is Iranian-American, posted Sunday on X.
"We will fight this ban with everything we have."
Rumors of a new travel ban had circulated following the Colorado attack, with Trump's administration vowing to pursue "terrorists" living in the United States on visas.
US officials said suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian national according to court documents, was in the country illegally having overstayed a tourist visa, but that he had applied for asylum in September 2022.
Trump's new travel ban notably does not include Egypt.
His proclamation said Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and war-torn Libya, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen lacked "competent" central authorities for processing passports and vetting.
Iran was included because it is a "state sponsor of terrorism," the order said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
LeMonde
2 hours ago
- LeMonde
Los Angeles turns into battleground between Trump and California Governor Gavin Newsom
Open conflict has broken out between Washington and California. In addition to 2,000 National Guard troops, the Trump administration announced on Monday, June 9, that some 700 US Marines would be sent to maintain order in Los Angeles – a further provocation in the eyes of officials from the Democratic state, who said nothing justified such a deployment except to "fulfill the deranged fantasy of a dictatorial President," as Governor Gavin Newsom said. On the fourth day of protests in Los Angeles against Trump administration raids targeting undocumented migrants, escalation seemed inevitable. California had become the "ground zero" of the standoff between the federal government and Democratic states, particularly over immigration. Tom Homan, Trump's immigration adviser, even threatened to have the governor arrested if he interfered with the implementation of federal policy. On Monday, the American president applauded the idea. "I would do it if I were Tom," he said, before calling Newsom a "grossly incompetent" leader. The governor responded in kind to the "tough guy" Homan: "Arrest me. Let's go," he challenged him on MSNBC. "Lay your hands off 4-year-old girls," he added, referring to Sofia, a Mexican girl from Bakersfield, northeast of Los Angeles, who suffers from a rare disease and faced deportation. The measure was canceled, the White House protested, but at this point, Newsom was no longer concerned with fact-checking either.
AFP
3 hours ago
- AFP
Manipulated report falsely claims S.Korea and US presidents did not speak
"How embarrassing," reads the Korean-language caption of an image shared on Facebook on June 7, 2025. The image appears to be a screenshot of a report from South Korean wire service News1 headlined, "[Breaking] White House spokesperson denies Trump spoke to South Korean President Lee Jae-myung". The report carries the byline of correspondent Ryu Jeong-min. The post circulated shortly after South Korea's presidential office announced that Lee had held his first phone call with Trump on the evening of June 6 -- his following his victory in a snap election (archived here and here). The two leaders discussed efforts toward concluding a tariff deal, and Trump also invited Lee to Washington, according to the South Korean presidential office. South Korean media noted the call -- three days after the election -- came later than it had for Lee's predecessors, and speculated about a change in the relationship between Seoul and Washington (archived link). Image Screenshot of the false Facebook post, captured on June 9, 2025 The screenshot of the purported News1 report was also some commenters accusing Lee of fabricating the call and damaging South Korea's international standing. "They're openly making up lies, how will Lee ever be able to talk to Trump now?" read a comment on one of the posts. Another said: "South Korea has immediately become a pariah on the world stage." While neither Trump nor the White House have issued a public statement about the call, the report circulating online has been altered. 'Obviously manipulated' A keyword search using the name of the reporter in the doctored article found he wrote a breaking news report on June 6 titled "[Breaking] Trump held phone call with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung" (archived link). The article was filed from Washington and cites the confirming via a White House official that the call did occur (archived link). Image Screenshot comparison of the manipulated report shared on social media (left) and the original News1 report published June 6 (right) over email on June 9 that the report about a supposed denial from the White House was "obviously manipulated" and that his actual report confirmed the call had taken place. For example, there was no White House statement about phone calls between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on June 6 or with Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on May 22 (archived here and here). As of June 10, there have been no official reports contradicting South Korea's announcement of the call between Lee and Trump. AFP previously debunked a digitally altered photo shared online claiming to show Trump's response to South Korea's presidential election.
France 24
3 hours ago
- France 24
South Korea in 'final stages' to sign major tank deal with Poland
In 2022, the two countries signed a $13.7 billion arms deal -- Seoul's largest to date -- which included South Korean K2 tanks and fighter jets for Poland, Ukraine's ally and neighbour. The negotiations for the potential upcoming deal -- part of the broader 2022 agreement -- are "in the final stages, with both governments and companies working to expedite its conclusion", an official from South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration told AFP. While the agency did not disclose the amount, it said if signed, the deal would be the "largest ever based on a single weapon system". South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that the potential deal is worth around $6 billion, with the country's Hyundai Rotem set to manufacture 117 tanks and Poland's state-owned Polish Armaments Group producing 63 locally. Yonhap reported that the signing ceremony is scheduled to take place in late June in Poland, but the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said the "signing schedule for the second contract has not yet been finalised". "This contract includes provisions such as local production and technology transfer, which have required a significant negotiation period," it said in a statement. The contract was originally expected to be signed late last year, according to Yonhap, but was delayed due to issues including political turmoil in South Korea following the brief declaration of martial law in December. South Korea has emerged as a major player in global defence exports, as Moscow's invasion of Ukraine created opportunities for its industry to secure large-scale contracts across Europe and the Middle East. It has signed major arms deals with countries such as Poland and Romania, including the export of K9 Howitzers and Chunmoo missile systems. South Korea's President Lee Jae-myung, who took office last week, has vowed a more dovish approach towards Pyongyang -- an ally of Russia -- compared with his predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol. The nuclear-armed North, which technically remains at war with the South, has recently bolstered military ties with Russia.
