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Boston Globe
a day ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Trump's new travel ban takes effect as tensions escalate over immigration enforcement
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up During Trump's first term, a hastily written executive order ordering the denial of entry to citizens of mainly Muslim countries created chaos at numerous airports and other ports of entry, prompting successful legal challenges and major revisions to the policy. Advertisement No such disruption was immediately discernible at Los Angeles International Airport in the hours after the new ban took effect. Haitian-American Elvanise Louis-Juste, who was at the airport earlier Sunday in Newark, New Jersey, awaiting a flight to her home state of Florida, said many Haitians wanting to come to the US are simply seeking to escape violence and unrest. 'I have family in Haiti, so it's pretty upsetting to see and hear,' Louis-Juste, 23, said of the travel ban. 'I don't think it's a good thing. I think it's very upsetting.' Advertisement Many immigration experts say the new ban is more carefully crafted and appears designed to beat court challenges that hampered the first by focusing on the visa application process. Trump said this time that some countries had 'deficient' screening for passports and other public documents or have historically refused to take back their own citizens. He relied extensively on an annual Homeland Security report of people who remain in the US after their visas expired. Measuring overstay rates has challenged experts for decades, but the government has made a limited attempt annually since 2016. Trump's proclamation cites overstay rates for eight of the 12 banned countries. Trump also tied the new ban to a terrorist attack in Boulder, Colorado, saying it underscored the dangers posed by some visitors who overstay visas. US officials say the man charged in the attack overstayed a tourist visa. He is from Egypt, a country that is not on Trump's restricted list. The ban was quickly denounced by groups that provide aid and resettlement help to refugees. 'This policy is not about national security — it is about sowing division and vilifying communities that are seeking safety and opportunity in the United States,' said Abby Maxman, president of Oxfam America, a nonprofit international relief organization. The inclusion of Afghanistan angered some supporters who have worked to resettle its people. The ban does make exceptions for Afghans on Special Immigrant Visas, generally people who worked most closely with the US government during the two-decade-long war there. Advertisement Afghanistan had been one of the largest sources of resettled refugees, with about 14,000 arrivals in a 12-month period through September 2024. Trump suspended refugee resettlement his first day in office.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump travel ban barring citizens from 12 countries goes into effect
Donald Trump's new ban on travel to the US by citizens of a dozen countries, mainly in Africa and the Middle East, went into effect at 12am ET on Monday, more than eight years after Trump's first travel ban sparked chaos, confusion, and months of legal battles. The new proclamation, which Trump signed last week, 'fully' restricts the nationals of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen from entering the US. The entry of nationals of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela will be partially restricted. Unlike Trump's first travel ban in 2017, which initially targeted citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries and was criticized as an unconstitutional 'Muslim ban', the new ban is broader, and legal experts said they expect it to withstand legal challenges. The announcement of the new travel ban was greeted with less outrage and protest than his initial 2017 ban. On Monday, the new ban appeared to be overshadowed by Trump's other immigration battles, including furious protests in Los Angeles over Trump's deportation raids, which were followed by Trump deploying the national guard to the city despite the opposition of California's governor. The newly instituted ban notably includes citizens of Haiti, a majority Christian country. Haitians in the US were demonized by Trump during his presidential campaign, with the president spreading the baseless conspiracy theory that Haitian immigrants in Ohio were eating people's pets. It also imposes heightened travel restrictions on citizens of Venezuela, who have been targeted repeatedly by the White House in recent months, as the Trump administration's sudden deportation of Venezuelans in the US to a notorious prison in El Salvador sparked a massive legal battle. The ban is also expected to have a disproportionate effect on African countries, with some citizens of targeted countries worrying about being cut off from opportunities for education, professional development, and networking. Mikhail Nyamweya, a political and foreign affairs analyst, previously told the Guardian that the new travel bans and restrictions would 'bring about a pattern of exclusion' and 'may also institutionalise a perception of Africans as outsiders in the global order'. 'This policy is not about national security – it is about sowing division and vilifying communities that are seeking safety and opportunity in the United States,' Abby Maxman, president of Oxfam America, a nonprofit international relief organization, said. While five of the countries on the new ban list are not majority-Muslim, including Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Eritrea and Equatorial Guinea, as well as Haiti, the list does target citizens of non-white countries in the developing world, fueling criticisms that the ban is fundamentally racist and shaped by 'bigotry'. Trump's first travel ban, in 2017, was widely criticized as a fulfillment of Trump's campaign pledge to institute 'a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States'. The Trump administration later added citizens of other non-Muslim countries to the banned list. The new ban does not revoke visas previously issued to people from countries on the list, according to guidance issued Friday to all US diplomatic missions. However, unless an applicant meets narrow criteria for an exemption to the ban, his or her application will be rejected starting Monday. Travelers with previously issued visas should still be able to enter the US even after the ban takes effect. In a video posted Wednesday on social media, Trump said nationals of countries included in the ban pose 'terrorism-related' and 'public-safety' risks, as well as risks of overstaying their visas. He also said some of these countries had 'deficient' screening and vetting or have historically refused to take back their citizens. Trump also tied the new ban to a recent attack in Boulder, Colorado that wounded a dozen people, saying it underscored the dangers posed by some visitors who overstay visas. US officials say the alleged perpetrator overstayed a tourist visa. The man charged in the attack is from Egypt, a country that is not on Trump's restricted list. The Associated Press contributed reporting
Euronews
a day ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Trump's travel ban on citizens from 12 countries takes effect
US President Donald Trump's sweeping ban on travel to the US by citizens of 12 countries took effect on Monday amid rising tensions over immigration. The 12 countries targeted include Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Nationals from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela are partially restricted. On Wednesday, Trump warned in a video that new countries could be added to the list as "threats emerge around the world." The ban comes more than eight years after his first travel ban in 2017 denied entry to citizens from mainly Muslim countries, sparking chaos at numerous airports and prompting months of legal battles. Unlike Trump's first ban, no such disruption was immediately discernable at airports and other entry points. Experts expect the proclamation — which is broader and more carefully crafted — to withstand legal challenges partly due its focus on the visa application process. The ban does not revoke visas issued to countries included on the list however, unless the applicant meets narrow criteria for an exemption to the ban, his or her application will be rejected from Monday. Travelers with previously issued visas should still be able to enter the US even after the ban takes effect. The announcement that the ban would take effect on Monday was overshadowed by other immigration battles, including widespread protests in Los Angeles against Trump's deportation raids. The demonstrations prompted the deployment of the National Guard — despite objections from California's governor. The policy specifically targets citizens of Haiti and Afghanistan, though it makes exceptions for individuals who collaborated closely with the US government during the two-decade war. It also imposes stricter measures on Venezuelan nationals, who have faced increased pressure under the Trump administration in recent months — including abrupt deportations to a detention facility in El Salvador which have ignited a legal battle. The measure has been denounced by groups that provide aid and resettlement help to refugees. 'This policy is not about national security — it is about sowing division and vilifying communities that are seeking safety and opportunity in the United States,' Abby Maxman, president of Oxfam America, said. Trump has justified the ban by claiming that some countries had "deficient' screening for passports and other public documents or have historically refused to take back their own citizens. The nationals in the countries included on the list impose "terrorism-related' and 'public-safety' risks, as well as risks of overstaying their visas. He also tied the ban to a terrorist attack in Colorado, which wounded a dozen people, saying it underscored the dangers posed by visitors who overstay visas in the US. The man charged in the incident is from Eygpt, a country not included in Trump's list. French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday slammed the withdrawal of climate funding by the US, saying it was time to reach an agreement for the entire planet. Macron said this on the eve of the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference and amid rising pressure for nations to turn decades of promises into real protection for the sea. Speaking to scientists at one of the sideline forums of the UN conference, the French president said: 'Unfortunately, if we are more or less clear-headed, we are at a time when international science, which still depends a lot on American funding, is withdrawing this funding, where we have a lot of people who are questioning multilateralism and these agencies". The US is not attending the key UN Ocean summit in the French southern city of Nice, after the Trump administration effectively pulled out of all climate-related agreements and withdrew funding upon assumption of office in January. On Sunday, Macron called on nations to commit to a moratorium on deep-sea exploitation. "I want us to reach an agreement for the entire planet. Because it's completely crazy. It's completely crazy to go and exploit, to go and drill in a place we don't know. It's frenzied madness." Host to the third edition of the UN Ocean conference, Macron said around 30 heads of state and government have committed to a moratorium on deep-sea exploitation. "There are already about 30 of us who have agreed. We're not going to give up. It's completely crazy to go and exploit, to go and drill in a place we don't know. It's frenzied madness," he stressed. More than 50 world leaders are expected to attend the UN conference this week, with a major focus of the weeklong summit being a push to ratify the High Seas Treaty, which would enable conservation in international waters. Thousands of delegates, including scientists and environmental advocates, began to arrive in Nice on Sunday for the conference that aims to debate plans to confront growing threats to the ocean and the need to transform pledges into protection. The United Nations has called the threats a global emergency facing the world's oceans as they confront rising temperatures, plastic pollution choking marine life, and relentless overexploitation of fish and other resources.
Euronews
a day ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Trump's travel ban on cititzens from 12 countries takes effect
US President Donald Trump's sweeping ban on travel to the US by citizens of 12 countries took effect on Monday amid rising tensions over immigration. The 12 countries targeted include Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Nationals from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela are partially restricted. On Wednesday, Trump warned in a video that new countries could be added to the list as "threats emerge around the world." The ban comes more than eight years after his first travel ban in 2017 denied entry to citizens from mainly Muslim countries, sparking chaos at numerous airports and prompting months of legal battles. Unlike Trump's first ban, no such disruption was immediately discernable at airports and other entry points. Experts expect the proclamation — which is broader and more carefully crafted — to withstand legal challenges partly due its focus on the visa application process. The ban does not revoke visas issued to countries included on the list however, unless the applicant meets narrow criteria for an exemption to the ban, his or her application will be rejected from Monday. Travelers with previously issued visas should still be able to enter the US even after the ban takes effect. The announcement that the ban would take effect on Monday was overshadowed by other immigration battles, including widespread protests in Los Angeles against Trump's deportation raids. The demonstrations prompted the deployment of the National Guard — despite objections from California's governor. The policy specifically targets citizens of Haiti and Afghanistan, though it makes exceptions for individuals who collaborated closely with the US government during the two-decade war. It also imposes stricter measures on Venezuelan nationals, who have faced increased pressure under the Trump administration in recent months — including abrupt deportations to a detention facility in El Salvador which have ignited a legal battle. The measure has been denounced by groups that provide aid and resettlement help to refugees. 'This policy is not about national security — it is about sowing division and vilifying communities that are seeking safety and opportunity in the United States,' Abby Maxman, president of Oxfam America, said. Trump has justified the ban by claiming that some countries had "deficient' screening for passports and other public documents or have historically refused to take back their own citizens. The nationals in the countries included on the list impose "terrorism-related' and 'public-safety' risks, as well as risks of overstaying their visas. He also tied the ban to a terrorist attack in Colorado, which wounded a dozen people, saying it underscored the dangers posed by visitors who overstay visas in the US. The man charged in the incident is from Eygpt, a country not included in Trump's list. French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday slammed the withdrawal of climate funding by the US, saying it was time to reach an agreement for the entire planet. Macron said this on the eve of the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference and amid rising pressure for nations to turn decades of promises into real protection for the sea. Speaking to scientists at one of the sideline forums of the UN conference, the French president said: 'Unfortunately, if we are more or less clear-headed, we are at a time when international science, which still depends a lot on American funding, is withdrawing this funding, where we have a lot of people who are questioning multilateralism and these agencies". The US is not attending the key UN Ocean summit in the French southern city of Nice, after the Trump administration effectively pulled out of all climate-related agreements and withdrew funding upon assumption of office in January. On Sunday, Macron called on nations to commit to a moratorium on deep-sea exploitation. "I want us to reach an agreement for the entire planet. Because it's completely crazy. It's completely crazy to go and exploit, to go and drill in a place we don't know. It's frenzied madness." Host to the third edition of the UN Ocean conference, Macron said around 30 heads of state and government have committed to a moratorium on deep-sea exploitation. "There are already about 30 of us who have agreed. We're not going to give up. It's completely crazy to go and exploit, to go and drill in a place we don't know. It's frenzied madness," he stressed. More than 50 world leaders are expected to attend the UN conference this week, with a major focus of the weeklong summit being a push to ratify the High Seas Treaty, which would enable conservation in international waters. Thousands of delegates, including scientists and environmental advocates, began to arrive in Nice on Sunday for the conference that aims to debate plans to confront growing threats to the ocean and the need to transform pledges into protection. The United Nations has called the threats a global emergency facing the world's oceans as they confront rising temperatures, plastic pollution choking marine life, and relentless overexploitation of fish and other resources.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Trump's new travel ban takes effect amid escalating tension over immigration enforcement
President Donald Trump's new ban on travel to the US by citizens from 12 mainly African and Middle Eastern countries took effect Monday amid rising tension over the president's escalating campaign of immigration enforcement. The new proclamation, which Trump signed on Wednesday, applies to citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. It also imposes heightened restrictions on people from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela who are outside the US and don't hold a valid visa. The new ban does not revoke visas previously issued to people from countries on the list, according to guidance issued Friday to all US diplomatic missions. However, unless an applicant meets narrow criteria for an exemption to the ban, his or her application will be rejected starting Monday. Travelers with previously issued visas should still be able to enter the US even after the ban takes effect. Haitian-American Elvanise Louis-Juste, who was at the airport Sunday in Newark, New Jersey, awaiting a flight to her home state of Florida, said many Haitians wanting to come to the US are simply seeking to escape violence and unrest in their country.'I have family in Haiti, so it's pretty upsetting to see and hear,' Louis-Juste, 23, said of the travel ban. 'I don't think it's a good thing. I think it's very upsetting.' Many immigration experts say the new ban is designed to beat any court challenge by focusing on the visa application process and appears more carefully crafted than a hastily written executive order during Trump's first term that denied entry to citizens of mainly Muslim countries. In a video posted Wednesday on social media, Trump said nationals of countries included in the ban pose 'terrorism-related' and 'public-safety' risks, as well as risks of overstaying their visas. He also said some of these countries had 'deficient' screening and vetting or have historically refused to take back their citizens. His findings rely extensively on an annual Homeland Security report about tourists, businesspeople and students who overstay US visas and arrive by air or sea, singling out countries with high percentages of nationals who remain after their visas expired. Trump also tied the new ban to a terrorist attack in Boulder, Colorado, saying it underscored the dangers posed by some visitors who overstay visas. US officials say the man charged in the attack overstayed a tourist visa. He is from Egypt, a country that is not on Trump's restricted list. The ban was quickly denounced by groups that provide aid and resettlement help to refugees.'This policy is not about national security — it is about sowing division and vilifying communities that are seeking safety and opportunity in the United States,' said Abby Maxman, president of Oxfam America, a nonprofit international relief organization. Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro's government was among those that condemned the travel ban, characterizing it in a statement as a 'stigmatization and criminalization campaign' against Venezuelans.
