'We don't want them,' says Trump as 19 nationalities face US travel restrictions

The Trump administration will restrict travel to the United States from 19 countries, the White House has announced in a presidential proclamation, unveiling limits reminiscent of his controversial first-term “Muslim travel ban”.

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Taking effect on Monday, travel will be fully restricted from 12 nations: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Partial restrictions will apply to seven others: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

In a video statement released on Wednesday, the president said a recent Molotov cocktail attack on Jewish activists in Colorado, allegedly carried out by an Egyptian man, highlighted the need for such restrictions. The alleged attacker, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, remained in the US after his travel visa and subsequent work authorisation expired, according to the government.

“The recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, has underscored the extreme danger posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted, as well as those who come here as temporary visitors and overstay their visas,” President Trump said from the Oval Office. “We don’t want them.”