President Trump Issues Travel Ban for 19 Countries
On June 4, 2025, President Trump issued a travel ban for 19 countries, which takes effect at 12:01 am ET on June 9. The travel ban Proclamation has the stated goal of protecting the United States from foreign terrorists and other national security and public safety threats, as stated in Executive Order 14161 issued on January 20, 2025.
With some exceptions listed below, the travel ban impacts nationals of certain countries who
(i) are outside the United States on June 9; and
(ii) do not have a valid visa issued prior to June 9.
Permanent residents, and individuals with valid US visas issued prior to June 9, 2025, are still admissible to the United States. It is unclear if individuals with other existing, valid travel documents (such as parole) are admissible to the US on or after June 9.
Conflicting Language in Travel Ban Proclamation
The Proclamation has conflicting language, and appears to provide broad discretion to consular officers to reduce the validity of existing visas. We advise that all nationals of the 19 impacted countries who are not permanent residents seek legal advice prior to departing the United States.
Impacted Countries
Twelve countries have “full entry restrictions” and seven countries have “partial entry restrictions.”
Full Entry Restrictions: Nationals from 12 countries are fully restricted due to alleged inadequate screening and vetting processes. The ban applies both to nonimmigrant and immigrant visa entrants to the United States. These countries are:
- Afghanistan
- Burma (Myanmar)
- Chad
- Republic of the Congo
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Haiti
- Iran
- Libya
- Somalia
- Sudan
- Yemen
Partial Entry Restrictions: Nationals from seven countries face partial restrictions. The ban applies to immigrant visa entrants, and to nonimmigrant visa entrants with B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas. These countries are:
- Burundi
- Cuba
- Laos
- Sierra Leone
- Togo
- Turkmenistan
- Venezuela
Exemptions
The proclamation includes exceptions for:
- Lawful permanent residents of the US.
- Dual nationals who enter on a passport from a country that is not on the travel ban list.
- Existing visa holders.
- Individuals with a visa in certain visa categories:
- Individuals with a valid nonimmigrant visa in the following classifications: A-1, A-2, C-2, C-3, G-1, G-2, G-3, G-4, NATO-1, NATO‑2, NATO-3, NATO-4, NATO-5, or NATO-6;
- any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the Secretary of State;
- Immediate family immigrant visas (IR-1/CR-1, IR-2/CR-2, or IR-5) with clear and convincing evidence of identity and family relationship (e.g., DNA);
- Immigrant visas for adopted children (IR-3, IR-4, IH-3, or IH-4);
- Afghan Special Immigrant Visas;
- Special Immigrant Visas for US Government employees; and
- Immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran.
- Individuals whose entry is deemed in the US national interest.
Potential Adjustments to the Travel Ban List
The Proclamation states that within 90 days, the Secretary of State will assess whether any of these travel bans should be “continued, terminated, modified, or supplemented,” and that continued assessments will be made every 180 days thereafter.
Please contact your Mintz Immigration Attorney with any questions.
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