Timeline: Trump's Latest Travel Restrictions, AKA "Travel Ban"
The Trump 2.0 incarnation of the policy affects 19 countries
Unlike many of his other executive actions, President Trump has U.S. Supreme Court precedent on his side in deciding to restrict residents of 12 countries from traveling to the U.S. and partially restricting travel from seven additional countries.
Of course, this action is commonly called a “ban” by media and politicians, but it’s probably not the most accurate word to use. The June 4 proclamation announcing the “ban” lists several exceptions. For example, it doesn’t apply to permanent residents of the U.S. (Green Card holders) and dual citizens. Also exempt are athletes, coaches, and team support personnel heading to the U.S. for major sporting events, such as next year’s World Cup, as well as Afghans eligible for a Special Immigrant Visa for their assistance to the U.S. during the war in Afghanistan. You can see a full list of exceptions in the proclamation.
Trump’s June 4 announcement references his travel restrictions from seven countries during his first term, which he called “one of our most successful policies, and they were a key part of preventing major foreign terror attacks on our soil.”
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld that policy in a 5-4 decision in 2018. Activists are still expected to challenge Trump’s latest travel restrictions, but many legal analysts say this version is on stronger legal ground.
He began his announcement by referring to the June 1 terrorism in Boulder, Colo., in which Egyptian Mohamed Sabry Soliman is accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at people — burning several of them — who were marching in support of hostages still held in Gaza by Hamas terrorists.
The recent terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, has underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted as well as those who have come here as temporary visitors and overstayed their visas. We don’t want ‘em.
Yet Trump’s order does not include Egypt even though Soliman arrived in the U.S. on a tourist visa in 2022.
The 12 countries with full restrictions are Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Of these countries, only Libya and Somalia were part of his previous travel ban.
The following seven countries have a partial travel restriction to the U.S.: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela, the last of which was included in Trump’s travel ban during his first term.
Here’s a timeline of the Trump 2.0 version of the policy, which takes effect June 9, along with justifications for the 12 countries that have the most restrictions. As of this writing, no lawsuit has been filed to challenge the policy. We’ll update this timeline if and when that occurs.
January 20, 2025
Trump issues an executive order on his first day in office that sets the stage for issuing a travel ban. The order calls for the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Director of National Intelligence to produce a report that:
Identifies countries where vetting and screening information “is so deficient” that it warrants a partial or full suspension on letting residents of those countries travel to the U.S.
Identifies how many residents of those countries have entered the U.S. since former President Joe Biden took office “and any other information the Secretaries and Attorney General deem relevant to the actions or activities of such nationals since their admission or entry to the United States.”
June 4, 2025
President Trump announces his travel ban in a social media video post at 8:11 p.m. He references the report he ordered on January 20, which he says considered the presence of terrorists in countries, visa security cooperation and their “inability to verify travelers’ identities, inadequate record-keeping of criminal histories, and persistently high rates of illegal visa overstays.”
“The strength of the restrictions we’re applying depends on the severity of the threat posed,” Trump says.
The report, however, is not released, although Trump’s policy and a White House “fact sheet” on the policy appear to note findings from the report. The fact sheet also references data from publicly available overstay reports.
The following are condensed findings from the fact sheet the White House uses to justify full restrictions from 12 countries.
Afghanistan
B1/B2 visa (business and tourist) overstay rate of 9.7%.
F/M/J visa (student, vocational and exchange visitor) overstay rate of 29.3%.
In addition, the White House says the country “lacks a competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents” and it does not have appropriate screening and vetting measures.
Burma
B1/B2 overstay rate: 27.07%.
F/M/J overstay rate: 42.17%. The fact sheet says Burma has “historically not cooperated … to accept back their removable nationals.”
Chad
B1/B2 overstay rate: 49.54%, an increase of about 12% from the previous year.
F/M/J overstay rate: 55.64%.
Republic of the Congo
B1/B2 overstay rate: 29.63%.
F/M/J overstay rate: 35.14%.
Equatorial Guinea
B1/B2 overstay rate: 21.98%.
F/M/J overstay rate: 70.18%.
Eritrea
B1/B2 overstay rate: 20.09%.
F/M/J overstay rate: 55.43%.
The White House “questions the competence of the central authority for issuance of passports or civil documents in Eritrea. Criminal records are not available to the United States for Eritrean nationals. Eritrea has historically refused to accept back its removable nationals.”
Haiti
B1/B2 overstay rate 31.38%.
F/M/J overstay rate: 25.05%.
The fact sheet notes that Haiti “lacks a central authority with sufficient availability and dissemination of law enforcement information necessary to ensure its nationals do not undermine the national security of the United States.”
Iran
From the fact sheet:
Iran is a state sponsor of terrorism. Iran regularly fails to cooperate with the United States Government in identifying security risks, is the source of significant terrorism around the world, and has historically failed to accept back its removable nationals.
The White House does not mention Iran’s visa overstay rates since they don’t appear to be a factor in the decision, but they are:
B1/B2: 4.99%
F/M/J: 4.49%
Libya
The historical terrorist presence within Libya’s territory amplifies the risks posed by the entry into the United States of its nationals.
The White House also says Libya lacks a “competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents.” Overstay rates are not cited, but they are:
B1/B2: 6.71%
F/M/J: 31.21%
Somalia
The White House says Somalia does not have a competent or central authority for issuing passports. In addition:
Somalia stands apart from other countries in the degree to which its government lacks command and control of its territory, which greatly limits the effectiveness of its national capabilities in a variety of respects. A persistent terrorist threat also emanates from Somalia’s territory. The United States Government has identified Somalia as a terrorist safe haven. Terrorists use regions of Somalia as safe havens from which they plan, facilitate, and conduct their operations. Somalia also remains a destination for individuals attempting to join terrorist groups that threaten the national security of the United States.
Its visa overstay rates (not cited in the White House fact sheet) are:
B1/B2: 10.94%
F/M/J: 34.38%
Sudan
B1/B2 overstay rate: 26.3%
F/M/J overstay rate: 28.4%
The White House says Sudan does not have appropriate screening and vetting measures.
Yemen
Yemen lacks a competent or cooperative central authority for issuing passports or civil documents and it does not have appropriate screening and vetting measures. The government does not have physical control over its own territory. Since January 20, 2025, Yemen has been the site of active U.S. military operations.
Visa overstay rates (again, not cited by the White House):
B1/B2: 19.76%
F/M/J: 40.92%
It'd be easier to just ban every country and admit only visitors from friendly nations, but ok.
As a paid Racket subscriber, I miss these timelines, and the Racket Library feature in general. I hope it returns.