Travel Ban in Second Trump Administration
August 2025
On June 4, 2025, President Trump issued a Proclamation that expands upon and strengthens the Travel Bans issued during his first Administration, restricting the immigration of foreign nationals from nineteen (19) designated countries, either through total or partial suspension of US visas.
As background, the first Trump Administration (2017-2021) issued four Travel Bans, two via Executive Order and two via Presidential Proclamation. The first Travel Ban, created via Executive Order 13769 in January 2017, exclusively focused on seven Muslim-majority countries (Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen) for 90 days. The second Travel Ban, created by Executive Order 13780 in March 2017, revised the first, keeping the original seven countries and adding North Korea and Venezuela, exempting certain foreign nationals holding US permanent residency or a valid US visa as of the effective date of the Executive Order and those holding dual nationality with a non-designated country. The US Supreme Court struck down these two initial Travel Bans. In September 2020, through Presidential Proclamation 9645, the Trump Administration introduced guidance for “enhanced vetting” of foreign nationals, which survived legal challenges at the US Supreme Court. This paved the way for the Trump Administration’s Fourth Travel Ban, created through Presidential Proclamation 9983 in January 2020, which expanded the list of visa-restricted countries to include Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sudan, and Tanzania. Each of the first Trump Administration’s Travel Bans was discontinued by the Biden Administration in 2021.
The second Trump Administration’s June 2025 Travel Ban cites similar concerns as those of his first Administration, highlighting the need for the United States “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”, and expands the list of banned countries. The 2025 Travel Ban focuses specifically on countries that the Trump Administration claims are “overstaying their visa in the United States” at higher rates than others, thereby hindering the effectiveness of immigration and law enforcement and intensifying national security risk. However, because this Travel Ban addresses many of the legal and procedural issues that opened the first Travel Bans to challenge, it is expected to face significantly less legal scrutiny from its opponents and federal courts than those of the first Trump Administration, and affected individuals should prepare for the 2025 Travel Ban’s endurance.
Under the current Travel Ban, twelve (12) countries have received a total suspension of all nonimmigrant and immigrant visa issuance. These countries are Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Seven (7) countries have received a partial suspension of visa issuance that fully suspends immigrant visa issuance and nonimmigrant visa issuance in the F, J, B, and M categories. These countries are Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
The Travel Ban, however, does make room for several exceptions to the policies restricting the entry of the targeted countries. These exceptions include foreign nationals who are lawful permanent residents of the United States or hold a valid visa; dual citizens of designated countries traveling on a passport issued by a non-designated country; A, C, G, and NATO nonimmigrant visa holders, mostly diplomats; athletes, coaches and their families traveling for international competitions such as the World Cup and Olympics, or other “major sporting event[s] as determined by the Secretary of State”; immediate relatives of U.S. citizens who can verify familial relationships by DNA; adopted children; special immigrant visas for Afghan citizens; special visas for US government employees; immigrant visas for persecuted Iranian religious and ethnic minorities; and, other foreign nationals whose travel is identified as conducive to national interests. However, foreign nationals subject to these exceptions who will be entering the United States face enhanced vetting procedures from Customs and Border Protection (CBP), including social media screening, biometrics, and verification of nonimmigrant intent. Please also see our recently released article “The Expansion of Social Media Screening and Vetting for Visa Applicants” for further details on enhanced vetting procedures and what to prepare for. Both individuals and employers with employees from affected nations should contact a Parker Gallini attorney for specific advice in advance of any border entry and for consultations regarding the total suspension of nonimmigrant and immigrant visas.