Trump’s new travel ban takes effect as tensions escalate over immigration enforcement

President Donald Trump’s newly expanded ban on travel to the United States — targeting citizens from 12 predominantly African and Middle Eastern nations — took effect Monday, deepening anxieties across the continent and fueling concerns about the administration’s escalating crackdown on immigration.

The sweeping proclamation, signed by Trump, now blocks citizens from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen from traveling to the U.S.

It further imposes heightened restrictions on citizens of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela who are outside the U.S. and do not hold a valid visa.

According to guidance issued Friday to all U.S. diplomatic missions, the ban will not revoke previously issued visas to individuals from the listed countries.

However, starting Monday (today), any new application that does not meet narrowly defined exemption criteria will be rejected.

Travelers holding valid visas issued prior to the ban’s enactment are still expected to be permitted entry.

This latest move revives memories of Trump’s first-term travel ban — an executive order that created widespread chaos at airports worldwide after it abruptly barred entry to citizens from several Muslim-majority countries. That earlier ban faced significant legal challenges and was eventually revised.

In contrast, the implementation of this new ban appeared less chaotic in its initial hours. At Los Angeles International Airport, no significant disruptions were observed, while at Miami International Airport, passengers passed smoothly through international arrivals.

“Everything was normal,” said Magda Moreno, a Cuban American who had just returned from visiting family in Cuba. “They only asked me where I was coming from and how many days I was in Cuba.”

Reflecting on the impact of the new restrictions, Moreno added: “It is difficult not being able to bring the family and for them not being able to enter into the U.S.”

Meanwhile, at Newark Airport in New Jersey, Haitian-American Elvanise Louis-Juste, awaiting a flight to Florida, shared her frustration over the implications of the policy on Haitians.

“I have family in Haiti, so it’s pretty upsetting to see and hear,” said Louis-Juste, 23. “I don’t think it’s a good thing. I think it’s very upsetting.”

Many immigration analysts observe that the new restrictions have been drafted with greater legal precision than earlier bans, aiming to withstand potential court challenges by focusing on the visa application process rather than outright nationality-based exclusions.

In defending the new ban, Trump cited what he described as “deficient” security screening and document verification procedures in certain countries, as well as longstanding issues with nations that refuse to repatriate their citizens.

The administration relied heavily on Homeland Security reports tracking visa overstays — a metric that experts caution is difficult to measure accurately. Eight of the 12 countries targeted in the ban were cited for elevated overstay rates.

Trump further linked the expanded restrictions to a recent terrorist attack in Boulder, Colorado, suggesting it illustrated the risks posed by visa overstays. The individual charged in that incident, however, is from Egypt — a country not on the current restricted list.