United States Bans Travel From 12 Countries
On Wednesday, June 4, the United States government banned travel from 12 countries and placed restrictions on seven others.
The list was created by the departments of State and Homeland Security and the Director of National Intelligence after they were required to compile a report on “hostile attitudes” toward the U.S. and whether entry from certain countries represented a national security risk.
The countries include Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. All of the countries on the list hold a Level 3 or Level 4 warning from the U.S. Department of State for those considering travel into those countries.
For a Level 3 advisory the U.S. warns: "Reconsider your travel to the destination due to serious risks to safety and security. Specific risks are described in the Travel Advisory."
For Level 4: "This is the highest advisory level due to life-threatening risks. Specific risks are described in the Travel Advisory. The U.S. government may have very limited or no ability to help, including during an emergency. We advise that U.S. citizens do not travel to the country, or to leave as soon as it is safe to do so."
In addition to the ban, which takes effect at 12:01 a.m. Monday, June 9, there will be heightened restrictions on visitors from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
According to The Hill, the proclamation makes exceptions for nationals from all 19 of those countries who are lawful permanent residents of the United States or existing visa holders and individuals “whose entry serves U.S. national interests.
"These commonsense restrictions are country-specific and include places that lack proper vetting, exhibit high visa overstay rates, or fail to share identity and threat information," White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson wrote on X.