Donald Trump has set his mind to imposing yet another controversial travel ban. The US government released a list banning nationals from 12 countries from entering America. The announcement quickly backfired as people noted that a country on the list doesn’t even exist.
The Trump administration’s recent decision will now forbid individuals from Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen from entering the US. The post on X (formerly known as Twitter) made by the official White House account gained a lot of attention.
“We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen… That is why today I am signing a new executive order placing travel restrictions on countries including Yemen, Somalia, Haiti, Libya, and numerous others.” –President Trump pic.twitter.com/ER7nGM4TO2
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 4, 2025
An X user was quick to note how Burma “didn’t exist” anymore. The nation was officially renamed to Myanmar in 1989. Several other netizens criticized the decision strongly by calling the President a “racist.” One user wrote, “What an awful time in US History.” Another added, “We all knew Trump was racist.”
The 12 countries were decided upon after the government discussed banning nationals from 43 countries initially. The new travel ban will also apply to individuals from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
This isn’t the first time the Trump government has decided to impose a controversial travel ban. During his first term, the President had imposed the controversial “Muslim travel ban” through an executive order.
The executive order went into effect in January 2017 and banned nationals from 7 countries from entering the US. The countries on the list included Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen. The commonality that tied these countries together was that them being predominantly Muslim nations.
BREAKING: Supreme Court allows President Trump’s revised travel ban affecting residents of six Muslim-majority countries to take full effect.
Here’s why this version of the ban is harder to fight in court. pic.twitter.com/GkeuWHHwuG
— AJ+ (@ajplus) December 4, 2017
The executive order was met with extremely chaotic consequences. Travelers from the mentioned countries were banned from boarding the flights that would take them to the US.
The rest were detained at American airports and denied entry into the country. The people who faced the disruptions were students and faculty, people who were there for business purposes, some visiting family, and even tourists.
The controversial executive order was retooled, and a version of the ban was imposed by the Supreme Court in 2018. The new travel ban affected nationals from Iran, Somalia, Yemen, Syria, Libya, and North Korea. Several Venezuelan government officials and their families also suffered because of the ban.
Trump has previously argued that the ban is necessary for national security. He defended his decision, noting that it was aimed at the safety of the nation and not motivated by an anti-Muslim bias.
JUST IN: The man who is accused of the Boulder terror attack was in the U.S. illegally and entered into the country under the Biden admin on 8/27/22 through LAX, according to Bill Melugin.
Six people are in the hospital after Mohamed Sabry Soliman allegedly lit them on fire.… pic.twitter.com/QILxynanMK
— iTamara (@Real___iTamara) June 2, 2025
The decision comes after Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian national, was arrested in Boulder, Colorado. The man used a flamethrower and Molotov cocktails to injure 12 people. It was later discovered that Soliman’s visa had expired, and the migrant was staying in the US illegally.
The Egyptian had entered the country on a tourist visa in 2022. He then filed for asylum and acquired a work authorization later. Soliman’s wife and 5 children were detained and are now awaiting deportation, according to the BBC.
