President Donald Trump signs a sweeping proclamation restricting travel from 19 countries to protect national security, sparking outrage from immigration activists.
Donald Trump promised to secure America’s borders during his campaign.
He’s delivering on that promise in a big way.
And Donald Trump just signed one proclamation that has immigration activists horrified.
Trump expands travel restrictions to protect America from foreign threats
President Donald Trump signed a sweeping proclamation on June 4, 2025, that restricts entry from 19 countries citing national security and public safety concerns.
The proclamation, titled "Restricting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats," builds on similar restrictions from Trump’s first term that were upheld by the Supreme Court.
Trump completely banned entry from 12 countries: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
Seven additional countries face partial restrictions: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
The President cited deficient vetting and screening information from these nations as justification for the restrictions.
The proclamation states "it is the policy of the United States to protect its citizens from aliens who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten our national security, espouse hateful ideology, or otherwise exploit the immigration laws for malevolent purposes."
The restrictions take effect at 12:01 AM Eastern Daylight Time on June 9, 2025.
High visa overstay rates trigger Trump’s crackdown
The proclamation reveals shocking statistics about how foreign nationals from these countries have abused America’s immigration system.
Chad had a business/tourist visa overstay rate of 49.54 percent, meaning nearly half of all visitors from that country illegally remained in the United States beyond their authorized stay.
Burma’s overstay rate reached 27.07 percent for business and tourist visas and a staggering 42.17 percent for student and exchange visitor visas.
Laos had a business/tourist visa overstay rate of 34.77 percent.
These numbers represent what the proclamation calls "a blatant disregard for United States immigration laws."
Several countries on the list also refuse to accept back their own nationals when the United States tries to deport them.
Haiti alone saw "hundreds of thousands of illegal Haitian aliens" flood into America during the Biden administration, creating "acute risks of increased overstay rates, establishment of criminal networks, and other national security threats."
Terrorist threats and failed states justify restrictions
Many of the countries on Trump’s list harbor active terrorist organizations or lack functioning governments capable of properly vetting their citizens.
Afghanistan remains under control of the Taliban, which is designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group.
Iran continues to serve as a state sponsor of terrorism and "regularly fails to cooperate with the United States Government in identifying security risks."
Somalia "lacks command and control of its territory" and serves as a "terrorist safe haven" where extremists "plan, facilitate, and conduct their operations."
Yemen faces "active United States military operations" and lacks "physical control over its own territory."
Libya has "no competent or cooperative central authority" and maintains a "historical terrorist presence within Libya’s territory."
The proclamation notes that many details about security threats from these countries remain classified to protect national security.
Exceptions protect legitimate travelers
Trump’s proclamation includes several exceptions to ensure legitimate travelers aren’t unfairly blocked.
Lawful permanent residents of the United States remain exempt from all restrictions.
Dual nationals can enter using passports from countries not on the restricted list.
Diplomats, athletes competing in major sporting events like the Olympics, and immediate family members with strong documentation proving their relationships can still enter.
Special provisions protect Afghan interpreters who helped American forces and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran.
The Attorney General and Secretary of State can grant case-by-case exceptions when travel serves critical United States interests.
Democrats rage against common-sense security measures
Left-wing politicians and activist groups immediately condemned Trump’s proclamation as discriminatory despite its focus on objective security criteria.
The restrictions mirror successful policies from Trump’s first term that survived multiple court challenges and earned Supreme Court approval.
Trump directed his administration to regularly review the restrictions every 180 days and work with affected countries to improve their security cooperation.
Countries that demonstrate improved vetting capabilities and information sharing can have their restrictions lifted.
The proclamation represents exactly the kind of America First immigration policy that helped Trump win a landslide victory in 2024.
Americans elected Trump to put their safety first, and he’s delivering on that promise by keeping dangerous foreign nationals from exploiting our immigration system.
Previous attempts by activist judges to block similar Trump immigration policies failed when higher courts recognized the President’s constitutional authority to protect national security.
The Biden administration’s open borders policies created chaos and security risks that Trump is now systematically fixing.
This proclamation sends a clear message that America will no longer tolerate countries that refuse to cooperate on security or allow their citizens to flout our immigration laws.
