DEARBORN, Mich, June 12, (AP): The ban on travel from certain countries that took effect Monday - reminiscent of President Donald Trump's first-term restrictions that became known to many as the " Muslim ban ” - is once again souring relationships among Arab American voters in the key battleground state of Michigan, a group that Trump sought to make inroads with during the 2024 election.

It came as a particular shock to many Yemeni Americans in the Dearborn area, who were surprised to find their country on Trump's new list banning travel to the US by citizens of 12 different countries, mostly in Africa and the Middle East. "This is the reward to the community that defied everybody else?" asked Wali Altahif, a local activist who advocates for Yemeni and other immigrant communities.

"That said, 'No, we’re going to support you, we going to vote for you'?” The new proclamation, which Trump signed last week, applies to citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. While it may not elicit the same protests as 2017, many Yemeni and Arab Americans in the all important battleground state see it as yet another offense contributing to enormous dissatisfaction with both major political parties in the US.

The aim of the new ban, the Trump administration said, is to "protect its citizens from aliens who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten our national security, espouse hateful ideology, or otherwise exploit the immigration laws for malevolent purposes.” Altahif described it as "selective discrimination” and "collective punishment.”

Michigan is home to one of the largest Arab American populations in the US, largely concentrated in the Detroit metropolitan area. The state was an epicenter of anger at President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for the administration’s support of Israel’s offensive in Gaza, which has resulted in a worsening humanitarian crisis and sparked a historic shift away from the Democratic Party.