President Donald Trump has signed a sweeping executive order imposing new restrictions on the entry of foreign nationals from 19 countries, citing national security and public safety concerns. The measure, announced on June 4 and set to take effect at 12:01 a.m. on June 9.
The executive order, issued under the authority of Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, fully suspends both immigrant and non-immigrant visa issuance for nationals of 12 countries: Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Citizens of these countries will be barred from entering the United States unless they qualify for specific exemptions.
An additional seven countries—Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela—face partial restrictions. For these nations, the ban limits entry under certain visa categories, including B-1 (business), B-2 (tourism), F, M, and J visas (student and exchange visitor categories), and imposes heightened eligibility requirements.
The 2025 travel ban does not apply to individuals from the affected countries who are physically present in the United States as of June 9.
The order includes several narrowly defined exemptions:
- Lawful permanent residents (green card holders)
- Current visa holders
- Dual nationals traveling on a passport from a non-restricted country
- Certain diplomatic and family-based immigration categories
- Individuals whose entry is deemed in the U.S. national interest
- Athletes participating in international events.
The executive order builds on the precedent set by the Trump administration’s 2017 travel ban, which targeted several Muslim-majority countries and was ultimately upheld by the Supreme Court in Trump v. Hawaii.
