Featured Image Credit: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, World News
James Moorhouse
If there's one thing you can say about Donald Trump's second term, it's that it certainly hasn't been boring.
The US president is on a mission to 'make America great again' and for him that seems to be getting rid of as many foreigners as possible, evidenced by his plans to send 'illegal aliens' to one of the world's worst prisons earlier this year.
He's also recently taken action against Harvard to prevent international students studying there, while over 6,000 people were officially classified as 'dead' as part of extreme efforts to get them to leave the country.
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And now, he's made it clear that he doesn't want people from certain countries coming to the US anytime soon, after announcing his plans for a travel ban which will come into force on Monday 9 June.
Trump promised a ban of this ilk in his election campaign and now 12 countries have a complete ban, with a partial ban also in place for a further seven countries.
The order states that from Monday, citizens from the following 12 countries will not be allowed the enter the US:
Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
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The White House said these 'common sense restrictions' would 'protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors'.
Trump, 78, said in his order that he 'must act to protect the national security and national interest of the United States and its people'.
In a video message posted on Truth Social, the president referenced the recent attack on a pro-Israel rally in Colorado, which had 'underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted'.
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"We will not let what happened in Europe happen to America." Trump added. "Very simply, we cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen those who seek to enter the United States.
"We will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm.
"We don't want 'em."
Despite the ruthless comments from Trump, it seems as if he will make some exceptions, albeit in rare and more unusual cases, that will still prevent the vast majority of people from these countries stepping foot in the US while he remains in charge.
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Immigrants who are 'ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran', people from Afghanistan holding special immigrants visas, lawful permanent residents, those with dual citizenship and athletes travelling for major sporting events are seemingly the only groups who will avoid persecution if they travel into America, although given the president's proclivity for deportation, they may not want to risk it.
A total of 19 countries will be affected in total, with partial bans in place for those from Venezuela, Cuba, Burundi, Laos, Turkmenistan, Togo and Sierra Leone.
Diosdado Cabello, the interior minister in Caracas, Venezuela, said: “Being in the United States is a great risk for anyone, not just for Venezuelans. They persecute our countrymen, our people for no reason.”
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Dahir Hassan Abdi, the Somali ambassador to the US, said in a statement: “Somalia values its longstanding relationship with the United States and stands ready to engage in dialogue to address the concerns raised.”
Jamal Abdi, the president of the National Iranian American Council, said: “The impact of the ban will once again be felt by Americans who were denied the ability to see their loved ones at weddings, funerals, or the birth of a child.”
Several of the countries on Trump's list, including Yemen and Sudan, are in the midst of a civil war.