Trump signs proclamation banning travel from 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran and Yemen
President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a proclamation that bans people from 12 countries from entering the US.
The decision follows attack in Boulder, Colorado, that targeted a march in support of Israeli hostages.
The travel ban covers Afghanistan, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. The measure also partially limits entry of people from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
The alleged attacker, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, is from Egypt, which is not on the list.
'We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen,' Mr Trump said in a video posted on social media, adding that the decision comes after he ordered the Secretary of State Marco Rubio to review 'high-risk regions' that should have restrictions imposed.
The list is subject to revision, he said.
The countries facing the total ban were found 'to be deficient with regards to screening and vetting and determined to pose a very high risk to the United States,' according to a statement provided by the White House.
The President said that the travel ban from his first term was one of his most successful policies and said they were 'key' to preventing terror attacks on American soil.
Mr Trump enacted a so-called Muslim ban during his first term, barring citizens of several Muslim-majority countries and others from entering the US. In the first Trump administration, travellers from Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen were barred from entry.
The policy went through several iterations before it was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.
The President has blamed the immigration policies of former president Joe Biden for rising crime in the country, and he has been swift to issue executive orders cracking down on people entering the country illegally.
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It looks like Donald Trump is after the Library of Congress but why? He doesn't seem to like reading as it appears he hasn't read the Constitution. He might be one of those people who 'writes' more books than he reads. Dennis Fitzgerald Melbourne, Australia
