Muslim Travel Ban 2025
President Trump is expected to issue a new presidential proclamation barring or restricting noncitizens from certain countries entering the United States, any day. We know from reporting and a leaked proposal of countries likely to be included that this upcoming ban utilizes the same blueprint as the last one but expands the list of countries. The forty-three countries that are expected to be included in the new travel ban, some of which are Muslim-majority countries, are divided into red, orange, and yellow categories based on the intended level of travel restriction. In total, the 2025 proclamation seeks to ban all travel from eleven countries, including Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen. Notably, all of the original seven countries included in Trump’s 2017 travel ban, except for Iraq, are predicted to be in this category. The orange category designates ten countries where visas will be sharply restricted. The yellow category, containing twenty-two countries, provides a sixty-day window for these countries to address the U.S. government’s concerns before it decides whether they should be removed from the list or moved into the red or yellow categories.
While it may seem that the Trump administration is operating with impunity, this presidential proclamation will not go unchallenged. As with previous travel bans, attorneys are mobilizing to challenge the constitutionality of the 2025 travel ban in court. Legal challenges are not the only form of resistance. As evidenced by the 2017 airport protests, Americans are expected to protest the ban by reminding the administration that our country is a nation of immigrants. The explicit discrimination embedded in bans that preclude countries, including Muslim-majority countries, is an affront to the foundational values of our country. Targeting countries in the Global South in such an arbitrary and discriminatory manner perpetuates false narratives, erodes the multiculturalism that defines America, and instills fear in our communities. The ban could be announced any day, but a network of attorneys, protesters, and everyday Americans are ready to respond.
Those affected by the 2025 travel ban are not powerless! Travelers should know their rights while traveling, consult an immigration attorney for individual questions, and review community education resources from MLFA and other nonprofit organizations or attorneys.
Suggested Resources
+ MLFA Website info from 2017 Muslim Ban?
+ ACLU “Know Your Rights at the Airport” Explainer (if allowed)
