President Donald Trump’s sweeping new travel ban which bars citizens of 12 countries from entering the United States came into effect at 00:00 ET (05:00 BST) on Monday.
The order, which Trump signed last week, restricts the nationals of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen from entering the US.
Nationals from a further seven countries – Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela – will face partial travel restrictions.
The US president said the list could be revised if “material improvements” were made, while other countries could be added as “threats emerge around the world”.
It is the second time Trump has ordered a ban on travel from certain countries. He signed a similar order in 2017 during his first term in office.
The White House said these “common sense restrictions” would “protect Americans from dangerous foreign actors”.
There are a number of people from affected countries who may still be able to enter the US due to a number of exceptions.
In addition, the US Secretary of State may grant exemptions to individuals on a “case-by-case” basis, if “the individual would serve a United States national interest”.
In a video posted to his Truth Social website last week, Trump said the recent attack in Boulder, Colorado “underscored the extreme dangers” posed by foreign nationals who had not been “properly vetted”.
