PRESIDENT Donald Trump has announced that citizens of 12 countries would be banned from visiting the United States and those from seven others would face restrictions from next Monday.

Some of the 12 countries listed on Wednesday were also banned during Mr Trump’s first term. 

The new ban includes Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

There will also be heightened restrictions on visitors from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

The ban excludes major sporting events such as the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

In a social media video President Trump tied the new ban to Sunday’s terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, saying it underscored the dangers posed by some visitors who overstay visas. 

The suspect in the attack is from Egypt, a country that is not on President Trump’s restricted list. The Department of Homeland Security says he overstayed a tourist visa.

Mr Trump alleged some countries had “deficient” screening and vetting or have historically refused to take back their own citizens. 

His claim relies extensively on an annual Homeland Security report of visa overstays of tourists, business visitors and students and singles out countries with high percentages of remaining after their visas expired.

International aid groups and refugee resettlement organisations slammed the new ban. Oxfam America president Abby Maxman said: “This policy is not about national security — it is about sowing division and vilifying communities that are seeking safety and opportunity in the US.”

Robyn Barnard from Human Rights First, based in Washington DC, described the list as “anti-immigrant and truly punitive,” adding that the Trump administration is trying to punish countries they don’t want migrants from. “It really feels like it’s about punishment and creating more chaos and dysfunction in our immigration system,” she said.