Understanding Trump’s “Terrorism” Order On Travel and Entry Rights

The executive order:

• makes changes to the visa application application process, reinstating the procedures that were in place during the first Trump administration.
• directs the federal government to make additional changes to visa application processes at a later date.

This executive order does not enact a new travel ban or reinstate the first Trump administration’s Muslim Ban right now. The Muslim Ban banned immigrants from several Muslim-majority countries, including Chad, Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, and Somalia, from entering the United States during the first Trump administration. This executive order suggests that the Trump administration may introduce a new travel ban by March 21, 2025.

We will continue to track developments and update this page as more information becomes available.

The executive order applies to immigrants who:

• Are applying for visas to enter the U.S.
• Are residing in the U.S. on visas currently
• Have entered the U.S. on or since January 20, 2021

This executive order calls for changes to visa screening and vetting processes. The order calls for stricter visa processing and re-establishes policies that were in place at the end of Trump’s last term. This will result in increased levels of screening and vetting “to the maximum degree possible.” This could mean:

• More interviews, and more detailed and longer interviews to obtain visas
• More document requirements
• More biometric information requirements ((like fingerprinting and facial recognition collection)
• More intensive background checks
• Reviews of social media
• Questions about your residential, employment, and travel history
• Longer wait times
• More discretion and power in the hands of consular officers

These restrictions could be in place right now. If you have experienced these changes, please contact the Asian Law Caucus at (415) 896-1701 or using our online contact form.

• Carefully consider any future international travel plans. If Trump enacts a travel ban in the near future, there is a risk that you may not be able to return to the U.S.

• If you do travel abroad, whether a travel ban is enacted or not, you should expect more intensive screening at U.S. ports of inspection when you return to the United States from abroad. Border officials could ask you more questions about your travels, your background, your social media activity, your political and ideological views, and your activities abroad and in the United States. See the Asian Law Caucus’s guidance on how to handle questioning at the airport. If you have experienced these changes, please contact the Asian Law Caucus at (415) 896-1701 or using our online contact form.

• Consult with an immigration attorney about your specific situation. For immigration attorney referrals, visit the National Immigration Legal Services Directory.

• Carefully consider expediting your travel plans to the United States. If Trump enacts a new travel ban in the near future, there is a risk that you may not be able to enter the U.S. The longer you wait to enter the U.S., the more likely it is that the Trump administration will have adopted new barriers to travel and entry.

• You should expect more intensive screening at U.S. ports of inspection when you arrive. U.S. border officials could ask you more questions about your travels, your background, your social media activity, your political and ideological views, and your activities abroad and in the United States. See the Asian Law Caucus’s guidance on how to handle questioning at the airport. If you have experienced these changes, please contact the Asian Law Caucus at (415) 896-1701 or using our online contact form.

• Consult with an immigration attorney about your specific situation. For immigration attorney referrals, visit the National Immigration Legal Services Directory.

In 2024, the Asian Law Caucus and our partners won a court order to help over 25,000 people who were denied their visas during Trump’s last Muslim Ban. Under the Pars/Emami court order, class members are able to receive a fee credit to reapply for a visa and can potentially receive fast-tracked appointments (or interviews). The federal government is still subject to the terms of this court order.

You may be a Pars/Emami class member if:

• You were denied a visa because of the last Trump administration’s Muslim ban (Presidential Proclamation 9645) between December 8, 2017, and January 20, 2021, AND
• You did not receive a waiver (a permit that allows you to travel to the U.S. despite being subject to the travel ban), AND
• You have not since received a visa, AND
• You have not since reapplied for a visa AND had a visa interview.

If you are part of the Pars/Emami class or think you may be, you can find out more information about how to seek relief under the court order at the Department of State website. The Pars/Emami attorneys have also provided additional information at https://waiversettlement.com. Once you have reviewed the instructions at these two websites, you can contact the Pars/Emami attorneys at waiversettlement@gmail.com for more information, even if you are not sure whether you are part of the Pars/Emami class.

This is a fast changing area of law and policy, and it is important that you keep yourself up to date.

• You can visit this page often. We will be updating this page as the situation changes and developing additional guidance as needed.
• You can contact your immigration attorney or seek help from organizations like the Asian Law Caucus which provide free legal advice. For immigration attorney referrals, visit the National Immigration Legal Services Directory.