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, Euronews reports.
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, which denied entry to citizens from mainly Muslim-majority countries, sparking chaos at numerous airports and prompting months of legal battles.
Unlike Trump’s first ban, no such disruption was immediately discernible at airports and other entry points.
Experts expect the new proclamation, which is broader and more carefully crafted, to withstand legal challenges partly due to its focus on the visa application process.
The ban does not revoke visas issued to citizens of countries included on the list. However, unless the applicant meets narrow criteria for an exemption to the ban, their application will be rejected from Monday.
Travellers with previously issued visas should still be able to enter the US even after the ban takes effect.
