SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — San Diego community leaders are reacting to President Trump's new travel ban that will affect citizens from 12 countries, including Haiti and Afghanistan.
"Dumbfounded, to be honest with you, completely surprised, but not surprised at the same time," said Guerline Jozef, the executive director of the San Diego-based group Haitian Bridge Alliance.
The ban, which takes effect Monday, will prevent citizens from Haiti, Afghanistan, and 10 other countries from visiting the United States.
Seven additional countries face restrictions, including Venezuela and Cuba.
Jozef says Haitians she knows are concerned about any travel, even those with valid visas.
"Fear that they will be turned away at the airport or be potentially even be put in detention when they try to enter the US on a valid US visa," Jozef said.
Shawn VanDiver, founder and president of Afghan Evac, a local group that helps Afghans with relocation after the U.S.'s withdrawal in 2021, expressed disappointment despite exemptions for those who served alongside U.S. forces.
"A significant step in President Trump's effort to throw our allies under the bus," said VanDiver.
The ban exempts Afghans who served alongside the U.S. during the war but doesn't address refugee resettlement, which is currently paused by another executive order.
"All of those people that are in the administration that said how much they care about Afghans, during the withdrawal, it's starting to seem like maybe that was just a political talking point. They didn't actually mean it," VanDiver said.
During Trump's first administration, he implemented a similar travel ban, mostly affecting Muslim-majority countries, which sparked nationwide protests, including in San Diego.
In this executive order, the President stated that he must act to protect the national security and national interests of the United States and its people.
The new ban is expected to face legal challenges.
