Fierce backlash is mounting across Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America after U.S. President Donald Trump reimposed a sweeping travel ban on 12 countries, rekindling one of the most divisive policies of his first term. Leaders in Chad, Venezuela, and Afghanistan have openly condemned the measure, accusing the Trump administration of stigmatization, abandonment, and collective punishment.
In Chad, President Mahamat Deby Itno swiftly announced retaliatory action, pledging to suspend U.S. visa access in response to what he described as a policy lacking fairness or mutual respect.
“Chad has no planes to offer, no billions of dollars to give but Chad has its dignity and pride,” Deby declared in a Facebook post, alluding to previous reports of Qatar gifting Trump a luxury Boeing 747.
Venezuela’s government also issued a strongly worded statement, denouncing the ban as part of a larger campaign of hostility.
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“What happened is not an isolated incident, but rather a new demonstration of the visceral hatred against the Venezuelan people that inspires those who currently conduct Washington’s foreign policy,” the statement read.
Afghan voices, too, expressed dismay. Outside the former U.S. embassy in Kabul, a Taliban guard pleaded for the ban’s reversal.
“America has to cancel it,” said Ilias Kakal. Meanwhile, Khalid Khan, an Afghan refugee in Pakistan who worked with the U.S. military for eight years, voiced a deep sense of betrayal.
“I feel abandoned,” he said. “So long as Trump is there, we are nowhere.”
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The ban, which takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, targets citizens from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. An additional seven countries, including Cuba, Sierra Leone, and Venezuela face heightened restrictions.
The White House says the ban is a national security response aimed at countries with poor passport controls or those unwilling to accept deported nationals. The move follows a January 20 executive order requiring federal agencies to assess “hostile attitudes” toward the U.S. and identify nations that pose security risks.
Trump cited last weekend’s flamethrower attack in Boulder, Colorado, as a wake-up call. The suspect, an Egyptian national who overstayed a tourist visa, came from a country not on the ban list.
Critics argue the policy is unevenly applied and built on weak data. Doug Rand, a former U.S. immigration official, noted discrepancies in how overstay rates were used to justify inclusion.
“The findings are based on sketchy data and a misguided concept of collective punishment,” Rand said.
Indeed, countries like Djibouti, with overstay rates higher than many on the list, were left off entirely. Chad, by contrast, had relatively low absolute numbers of overstays but was still included.
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Some nations are opting for diplomacy over confrontation. Sierra Leone’s Information Minister Chernor Bah indicated that his country would seek engagement rather than conflict.
“We will work with U.S. authorities,” he said.
On the ground, the announcement has already cast a shadow over personal lives. In Miami, Oreebus Gonzalez, a Venezuelan entrepreneur with a valid visa through 2033, worried she may never return.
“It scares me a lot,” she said. “The fact that you behave well and do the right thing doesn’t matter.”
Still, others voiced support. William Lopez, a Cuban-American living in Miami since 1967, welcomed Cuba’s inclusion.
“These are people that come but don’t want to work. They support the Cuban government. They support communism,” Lopez said. “What the Trump administration is doing is perfectly good.”
The latest ban follows the path of Trump’s first-term travel restrictions, which initially targeted several Muslim-majority nations and led to widespread airport chaos. After court challenges, the Supreme Court upheld a revised version of the policy in 2018.
Though this rollout comes with more warning, the backlash is familiar, especially among those who see the policy not as a security measure, but as a political message.
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