White House ban on travel to US from 12 countries branded 'racist'

Democrats and civil rights groups have condemned Donald Trump's travel ban on 12 countries as "reckless" and "racist", with some warning the policy may be an effort to distract Americans from the president's much-criticised tax bill.

- Adam Gabbatt Rebecca Ratcliffe Helen Livingstone

Trump signed a sweeping order banning travel from countries including Afghanistan, Equatorial Guinea and Haiti on Wednesday night, claiming he had considered factors including "foreign policy, national security and counter-terrorism".

The nationals of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen will be "fully" restricted from entering the US. The entry of nationals of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela will be partially restricted.

In the face of searing criticism from the left, Trump defended the ban, which will take effect on Monday, saying it "can't come soon enough".

The president has cited Sunday's attack in Boulder, Colorado, when an Egyptian national allegedly used a makeshift flamethrower and incendiary devices to attack a crowd of people who were raising awareness of Israeli hostages in Gaza, to justify the travel restrictions, although Egypt was exempted from the ban.

Adam Schiff, a Democratic senator from California, called the travel restrictions "Trump's reckless first-term travel ban all over again".