Trump travel ban blocking citizens from 12 countries takes effect

President Donald Trump’s ban on travel to the U.S. by citizens of 12 African, Middle Eastern and South American countries went into effect on Monday.

The ban, signed last week, applies to citizens of Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

It also imposes heightened restrictions on people from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela who are outside the U.S. and don’t hold a valid visa.

The order does not cancel visas that have already been issued to citizens of the countries, and those who possess them will remain free to travel to the U.S.

SUSPECT IN BOULDER TERROR ATTACK DETERMINED TO BE EGYPTIAN MAN IN US ILLEGALLY: FBI

President Donald Trump waves as he arrives on Air Force One at Miami International Airport. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

The president said on X the travel ban was being introduced after a terror attack against a pro-Israel group advocating for Hamas to release Israeli hostages in Boulder, Colorado, last weekend, allegedly by an Egyptian man who had overstayed his visa.

In a White House fact sheet, Trump said, “We will restore the travel ban, some people call it the Trump travel ban, and keep the radical Islamic terrorists out of our country.”

President Donald Trump says the travel ban from his first administration was one of his most successful policies. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

This point was backed by the State Department’s principal deputy spokesperson, Tommy Pigott. In a briefing last week, Pigott said, “This is a national security imperative.”

“We cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen those who seek to enter the United States,” Trump said before signing the ban.

President Donald Trump holds up an executive order after signing it at the White House.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“That is why today I am signing a new executive order placing travel restrictions on countries including Yemen, Somalia, Haiti, Libya and numerous others,” he concluded. “We will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm, and nothing will stop us from keeping America safe.”

Fox News’ Paul Tilsley and the Associated Press contributed to this report.