Fury and resignation around the world as Trump's travel ban comes roaring back

Countries across the world were in shock Thursday after President Donald Trump announced a travel ban on nationals from a dozen countries and the cancellation of visa programs for seven more.

Countries across the world were in shock Thursday after President Donald Trump announced a travel ban on nationals from a dozen countries and the cancellation of visa programs for seven more. For many, the move seemed like a return to 2017 and one of the most controversial policies of Trump’s first term.

Trump on Wednesday cited national security and terrorism concerns as motivating factors behind the ban on nationals largely from Africa and Asia, triggering reactions from representatives of those countries that ranged from weary diplomacy to downright anger.

“The truth is being in the United States is a big risk for anybody, not just for Venezuelans,” said Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello during a weekly show on state television.

With the Trump administration canceling a special visa program with Venezuela among other countries on Wednesday, Cabello described the U.S. government as “fascist,” adding that “they persecute our countrymen, our people for no reason.”

The new order affects a patchwork of 19 countries — some of them banned for the first time, for reasons that the administration said include high rates of visa overstays, lack of "appropriate screening and vetting measures" and allegedly being sponsors of terrorism.