Trump issues new travel ban targeting a dozen countries after Boulder attack

Donald Trump has signed a sweeping new executive order that will bar entry to the United States for nationals from a dozen countries, in a dramatic return to one of his most controversial first-term policies.

The plan was revealed during a White House meeting on Wednesday with Jewish leaders, convened in the wake of a deadly antisemitic attack in Washington last month and a second in Boulder, Colorado, just days ago.

Since then The Whitehouse has issued Trump's latest executive order, which states:

"The Proclamation fully restricts and limits the entry of nationals from 12 countries found to be deficient with regards to screening and vetting and determined to pose a very high risk to the United States: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen."

In addition to those banned nations, others face restrictions.

White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf told attendees that the order could be signed as early as Wednesday, though he did not specify which countries would be affected. “They were just saying that an executive order regarding a travel ban is in the works,” one of the sources told Jewish Insider after the meeting. “Everyone was very careful about what they said and didn’t say.”

Another attendee confirmed the Boulder attack was used to justify the decision. “Not directly because of the events in Boulder,” they said, “but that the attack in Boulder was mentioned ‘as a rationale, as proof of why this executive order was so important.’”

CBS News anchor Jennifer Jacobs reported that the planned ban would fully restrict entry from 12 countries: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

The ban would also partially restrict travellers from seven more nations: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

The order comes as the White House faces pressure following a violent attack in Boulder, where 15 people were injured during a march highlighting the plight of Israeli hostages in Gaza.

The suspect in that attack, according to the Department of Homeland Security, is an Egyptian national who overstayed his visa. His wife and five children were taken into ICE custody on Tuesday and were slated for deportation to Egypt, though a federal judge intervened on Wednesday to halt the proceedings.

In 2017, Trump’s original travel ban sparked global backlash by barring entry from seven Muslim-majority countries. Egypt was not included in that list.

Wednesday’s meeting featured key White House figures including Susie Wiles, Harmeet Dhillon, Paula White, Jenny Korn, Noah Pollak, Sebastian Gorka, Adam Boehler, Martin Marks, and Leo Terrell. Trump’s pick for antisemitism envoy, Yehuda Kaploun, was also present.

A wide array of Jewish communal leaders from groups such as Chabad, the ADL, AIPAC, the Orthodox Union, Agudath Israel, and more, also attended.

The Express has reached out to the White House for comment.