Trump signs travel ban affecting 12 nations

Screening standards cited in the decision

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President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a travel ban on 12 countries, primarily in Africa and the Middle East, reviving an effort from his first term to prevent large numbers of immigrants and visitors from entering the United States.

The ban, which goes into effect Monday, bars travel to the US by citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.

Mr Trump also imposed restrictions on travel from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. People from those countries cannot come to the United States permanently or get tourist or student visas.

The decision resurrects a policy from his first term. It is the latest move in Mr Trump's sweeping crackdown on immigration, after he blocked asylum at the southern border, barred international students from Harvard University, and ordered immigration raids across the country.

The decision came days after an Egyptian man in Colorado was arrested and charged with carrying out an attack on a group honouring hostages being held in the Gaza Strip. Trump administration officials had warned that there would be a crackdown after that attack.