Nothing says second term more like a fresh executive order that makes the Immigration Law world feel like a legal suspense thriller. The latest proclamation dated June 4th, 2025, bans the entry of foreigners from 12 countries who are seeking to come to the U.S. permanently as legal immigrants, as well as those with temporary visas, while imposing partial restrictions on 7 others.
The full ban countries are Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. The partial restriction countries include Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. The number of countries may be 19 but the confusion is infinite.
According to the administration, the factors considered were “the largescale presence of terrorists, failure to cooperate on visa security, inability to verify travelers’ identities, inadequate record keeping of criminal histories and persistently high rates of illegal visa overstays”. President Trump also said the list could be revised if countries make “material improvements,” and new countries could be added “as threats emerge around the world”.
Here’s what happened
After the Colorado bomb blast, which understandably sent shockwaves through communities, a new travel ban was quickly introduced. The administration framed it as an urgent measure to secure the homeland from further terror threats. While wandering through the curious maze of rationale behind this ban, we find the Boulder attack cited as a key justification. The only catch? The suspect involved was reportedly from Egypt. And Egypt... well, it’s conspicuously absent from the list of banned countries. It’s like when your neighbor’s dog bites someone, so you put up a fence around your entirely different neighbor’s yard or It’s like banning maple syrup after a pancake overdose. Bold? Sure. Relevant? Not quite.
First Ban vs. Latest Edition
The president’s actions follow a series of travel bans issued during his first administration that initially targeted predominantly Muslim countries. But this isn’t just a copy-paste job from 2017. The first-term travel ban in its final 2018 version targeted 7 countries, including Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, North Korea, and Venezuela. It focused heavily on Muslim-majority nations, leading to widespread “Muslim ban” criticisms, was born from chaos with those memorable airport protests and emergency court orders, and took three painful iterations to get it legally bulletproof.
The 2025 version is a different beast entirely. Those, who lived through Muslim Ban are having executive order flashbacks. This time around, Africa gets prominent billing with a more geographically diverse approach, and the rollout came with less fanfare, but a much more detailed legal framework built on that hard-won Supreme Court precedent from round one.
The expansion is notable. We’ve gone from 7 countries to 19, which either means the world got a lot more dangerous since 2021, or someone in the White House got good at using a map and a highlighter. The new list includes more African nations and maintains the usual suspects from the Middle East, while adding some countries that probably make most Americans reach for Google Maps.
The Exceptions: Where Hope Lives
The proclamation includes exemptions for U.S. permanent residents, spouses and children of U.S. citizens (with proper documentation, naturally), Afghan allies with special visas, diplomats, Olympic athletes, and dual nationals with passports from non-listed countries. From a legal perspective, these exceptions are crucial. They’re often what separate a workable policy from complete chaos at port of entry.
The Bottom Line
The 2025 travel ban is now reality. The ban went into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, June 9, which means we’re all figuring this out together, one case at a time. In moments like these, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed—by headlines, by rumors, by uncertainty. As immigration attorneys, we don’t make policy – we navigate it. Whether you think travel bans are necessary security measures or bureaucratic overreach our job remains the same: help our clients understand their options and work within the system as it exists. We want you to remember: we’ve navigated storms like this before, and we will again. Immigration policy may shift overnight, but your future doesn’t have to. Every case is unique, and so is the strategy we’ll build for yours.
To learn more, watch the video below and see Attorney Susham M. Modi discuss the travel ban on Live Now Fox!