'Discriminatory, racist, and downright cruel': Reaction to Donald Trump's US travel ban

Donald Trump has signed a ban on travel, barring people from 12 countries from entering the US.

Trump claimed the ban, which will come into effect on Monday (9 June), is to “protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors” with the president saying, “We don't want ‘em”.

He also cited the recent antisemitic attack in Boulder, Colorado for which an Egyptian man was charged.

But, critics say the list of countries is “truly punitive” and echoes back to Trump’s first presidency when he placed a ban on people travelling to the US from Muslim-majority countries in 2017.

This time around, there are 12 countries listed, with another seven countries whose nationals face partial travel restrictions.

Foreign students hoping to study at Harvard University are also caught up in the policy.

Which countries are included in Trump's travel ban and who is affected?

The proclamation bans travel to the US from nationals of 12 countries.

These are: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

Trump’s administration claims this is due to national security concerns.

Seven countries that have had partial travel bans to the US placed on them are: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

In addition, Trump has suspended the entry of foreign students intending to study or participate in exchange programmes at Harvard University for six months.

Is anyone exempt from the ban?

The travel ban does exempt some people in some very specific circumstances, including:

• Athletes who are travelling for a major sporting event.
• Nationals holding specific visas.
• Those who are “lawful permanent residents” of the US
• Dual nationals with citizenship in countries not banned

What has the reaction to the ban been?

The ban has sparked widespread criticism, not only from those in countries affected but also from onlookers and human rights groups.

The Interior Minister of Venezuela, Diosdado Cabello, hit back against America’s “fascism” after the country was placed under a partial ban.

He argued, “Being in the United States is a great risk for anyone, not just for Venezuelans”.

“The people who govern the United States are bad people - it’s fascism, they are supremacists who think they own the world and persecute our people for no reason”, Cabello added.

Political commentator Aaron Rupar said: “Worth remembering that when Trump announced a travel ban in 2017, people literally went to airports to protest. Eight years later, Trump announces a new one and it’s not even front page news.

“We’re the frogs and the water is getting awfully hot.”

Robyn Barnard from Human Rights First, told the BBC: “The commonalities are that many of these countries are places that people are fleeing due to conflict, violence and restrictive policies against women and girls and LGTBQ individuals and others.”

Barnard described the list as “truly punitive” and argued: “It really feels like it’s about punishment and creating more chaos and dysfunction in our immigration system.”

Another said: “A couple months later than first expected but Trump just dropped another (majority) Muslim and African travel ban.”

Someone else wrote: “Every stupid and ineffective idea from 2017 all over again. The act is getting stale.”

Amnesty International USA posted: “President Trump’s new travel ban is discriminatory, racist, and downright cruel. By targeting people based on their nationality, this ban only spreads disinformation and hate.”

Another argued: “Trump’s travel ban is designed to distract his base and his critics alike from his failures — DOGE, Sec Def, tariffs, ICE and now the Big (Bad) Bill. Don’t fall for it.”

Similarly, another said: “Nothing distracts the media from Musk turning on Trump’s bill and MAGA cracking at the seams and all his court losses and being humiliated globally by having no clue about the Ukrainian drone strike on Russian bombers and being an unmitigated dumpster fire like a new travel ban.”

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