ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Center for Victims of Torture (CVT) today issued this statement in response to President Trump’s announcement that people from 12 countries will not be allowed into the United States, along with a partial ban for people from seven more.

“This new travel ban is inhumane, discriminatory and arbitrary. Banning people from certain countries, many of which are embroiled in conflict and serious strife of their own, does nothing to make America safer,” said Yumna Rizvi, CVT senior policy analyst.

The new travel ban applies to citizens of Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. There is a partial ban that affects citizens of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

“This ban closely mirrors the Muslim ban from the previous Trump administration, which was overturned by the Biden administration. The countries in this list are mostly in Africa and the Middle East – parts of the world that were singled out by President Trump before,” said Rizvi. “We extend care to survivors who were tortured in many countries around the world; we know where torture is being perpetrated, where human rights are being violated. Citizens of these countries are at risk of facing persecution, conflict and torture, not security risks themselves.”

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The Center for Victims of Torture is a nonprofit organization with offices in Ethiopia, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Uganda, United States and additional project sites around the world. Visit www.cvt.org