'Dramatic escalation:' Trump issues sweeping ban targeting nearly 20 countries

President Donald Trump on Wednesday issued a sweeping new executive order barring entry into the United States for nationals of 12 countries, while imposing partial restrictions on seven more, claiming national security risks.

The full travel ban targets Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen – completely blocking their citizens from entering the U.S., according to media reports. The presidential order also imposes restrictions limiting entry into the U.S. on travelers from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela, the New York Times reported.

The move – described by the Times as a “dramatic escalation in President Trump’s restriction on immigration” – follows months of planning and stems from a directive Trump issued on his first day back in the Oval Office.

“The extensive planning speaks to the White House’s efforts to pass legal muster: Trump’s 2017 travel ban targeting majority-Muslim countries suffered a series of courtroom defeats before a slimmed down version eventually took effect,” according to Politico.