(MENAFN) President Donald Trump has implemented a travel ban affecting nationals from seven African countries — Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Libya, Somalia, and Sudan — citing terrorism risks and high visa overstay rates. The policy came into force on June 9.

The measure was announced through an executive order on Wednesday as part of a broader policy affecting 12 nations in total. The order also places partial bans on Burundi, Sierra Leone, Togo, Cuba, Laos, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela, limiting entry under certain visa categories.

“The restrictions… are necessary to encourage cooperation from these governments, enforce US immigration laws, and protect our national security and counter-terrorism goals,” Trump stated.

The president explained that the affected countries were designated due to their failure to adequately control terrorism, passport issuance, and proper vetting procedures, or due to their high visa overstay rates. He insisted the policy was meant to keep the USA and its people safe.

The Somali ambassador to the USA, Dahir Hassan Abdi, responded by emphasizing his country's longstanding ties with Washington and its willingness to resolve the issues through dialogue.

This move echoes bans previously implemented by Trump during his first term — bans that drew legal and diplomatic criticism but were upheld by the US Supreme Court in 2018. His successor, Joe Biden, reversed those bans upon taking office in 2021, describing them as unfair and discriminatory.

In a video message from the White House, Trump criticized the “open door policies” of the Biden administration, arguing that weak vetting procedures have allowed millions of undocumented people to stay in the US. He cited a recent attack at a pro-Israel rally in Boulder, Colorado, as a demonstration of the potential danger posed by allowing entry to people without proper vetting.

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