GENEVA, June 5 (Xinhua) -- UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk on Thursday expressed concern over the United States' new travel ban.

In a statement sent to Xinhua, Turk said that the broad and sweeping nature of the new travel ban raises concerns "from the perspective of international law."

While states have discretion to manage their borders under international law, Turk said, they "must also ensure all people are protected equally under the law, and must protect against discrimination on any grounds, including on basis of nationality, national origin, religion or migration or other status."

"We are also more generally concerned that deeply regrettable official public statements disparaging the people affected by this measure risk contributing to the stigmatization of people from the concerned countries, both within the U.S. and elsewhere, and risk increasing their exposure to xenophobic hostility and abuse," he said.

U.S. President Donald Trump signed a proclamation to ban travel from certain countries on Wednesday evening, citing national security risks.

According to a release by the White House, the proclamation, set to take effect on June 9, will fully ban the entry of nationals from 12 countries, namely Afghanistan, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. ■