President Donald Trump revived on Wednesday evening one of the most controversial policies of his first term: a sweeping travel ban targeting several mostly non-Western countries.
As soon as the executive order was signed, criticism quickly poured in, particularly from Democratic lawmakers in the House of Representatives.
This new expanded version of the “travel ban” temporarily bars entry to the United States for nationals from 12 countries: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. In addition to these outright bans, seven other countries — including Cuba, Venezuela, and Laos — now face stricter visa and travel restrictions.
The president claims the decision is meant to enhance domestic security, citing a recent incident in Boulder, Colorado, involving an Egyptian national. That justification has sparked skepticism, especially given that Egypt is not on the list of affected countries.
Among Democrats, the measure is seen as a resurgence of identity-based nationalism disguised as security policy.
For Don Beyer, a representative from Virginia, the decree does nothing to address real threats:
“Trump’s use of prejudice and bigotry to bar people from entering the United States does not make us safer; it only divides us and weakens our global leadership,” he stated in a press release shared with HuffPost. He also warned that the policy could lead to devastating family separations.
Yassamin Ansari, a representative from Arizona, echoed that sentiment, arguing that President Trump is repeating past mistakes:
“We’ve seen this horror show before,” she wrote on X, referring to the previous immigration ban from 2017, which was partially struck down in court before being repealed under the Biden administration.
Pramila Jayapal, a representative from Washington State, also raised concerns about the humanitarian consequences of the measure:
“Banning entry to people fleeing extreme situations — such as those who supported the U.S. military in Afghanistan or who are trying to escape war in Sudan — will only further destabilize global security,” she said in a statement shared by HuffPost.
To justify his position, the president cites terrorist attacks carried out by foreigners on American soil. He pointed to the recent incident in Boulder, Colorado, where an Egyptian citizen who had overstayed his U.S. visa opened fire on a group of pro-Israel demonstrators. However, Egypt is not among the countries listed in the new travel ban. It’s also worth noting that citizens from the vast majority of targeted countries have never committed terrorist attacks in the United States.
As during his first term, this presidential decree is likely to face a series of legal challenges.
Immigrant rights organizations and legal advocacy groups are already preparing to contest the measure, which they deem unconstitutional and discriminatory.
With this return to a hardline immigration stance, Donald Trump appears to be leaning on identity-based divisions to shore up support from a base dissatisfied with some of his recent policies since returning to the White House. But beyond political calculation, this new travel ban reignites a deeper debate about America’s ability to uphold its status as leader of the “free world.”
