President Donald J. Trump Signs Travel Restrictions Executive Order

The recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, has underscored the extreme dangers 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. We don't want them. In the 21st century, we've seen one terror attack after another carried out by foreign visa overstayers from dangerous places all over the world.

And thanks to Biden's open door policies, today there are millions and millions of these illegals who should not be in our country. In my first term, my powerful travel restrictions were one of our most successful policies, and they were a key part of preventing major foreign terror attacks on American soil. We will not let what happened in Europe to America.

That's why on my first day back in office, I directed the Secretary of State to perform a security review of high-risk regions and make recommendations for where restrictions should be imposed. Among the national security threats their analysis considered are the large-scale presence of terrorists, failure to cooperate on visa security, inability to verify travelers identities, inadequate recordkeeping of criminal histories and persistently high rates of illegal visa overstays and other things. Very simply, 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.

That is why today I am signing a new executive order placing travel restrictions on countries including Yemen, Somalia, Haiti, Libya, and numerous others. The strength of the restrictions we're applying depends on the severity of the threat posed. The list is subject to revision based on whether material improvements are made.

And likewise, new countries can be added as threats emerge around the world. But we will not allow people to enter our country who wish to do us harm. And nothing will stop us from keeping America safe.

Thank you very much.