ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WXYZ) — Last night, President Donald Trump announced a widespread travel ban, affecting people coming into the U.S. from a dozen countries. And there are now new partial restrictions, for travel for another seven countries.
Watch Ryan Marshall's live report from the 6 a.m. show
Starting on Monday, countless people will be unable to enter the United States. The President says it's a move to protect National Security, on the heels of the Firebombing attack in Colorado last weekend.
The move comes as a surprise to come peiole, as citizens from nearly 20 countries will be banned or restricted from entering the United States, beginning on Monday.
President Truymp signed a proclamaiton banning nationals from 12 countries: Afghanistan, Myarmar (also known as Burma), Chad, The Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. The proclamation also partily restricts nationals from seven other countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezula.
White House officials say President Trump decided on the ban after Sunday's anti-Semitic attack in Boulder, Colorado. The suspect's native country is Egypt, but they weren't on the list of banned or restricted countries. The President also cites security concerns and says it's hard for the U.S. to vet visitors from those countries.
The Scripps News Group reached out to a University of Michigan Public Policy professor about what's happening.
“Well, we all know that Trump is not favorable towards people visiting the United States, immigrants into the United States," said Jonathan Harrison. "So, this is just one more step along that way. I guess if you look at some of the countries that are being targeted, many of those countries have Islamic populations. And, during his first term, President Trump had some trouble passing his travel ban because it was essentially being viewed as anti-Muslim. And, this list is a little broader than that.”
The ban doesn't apply to lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders and certain visa categories. It also allows exceptions when the Trump administration determines U.S. national interests are at stake.
President Trump also said that there could be additions to that list as threats arise.
