Expanded US ‘Travel Ban’ To Take Effect January 1, 2026 – Analysis

By Jill H. Wilson

On December 16, 2025, President Trump issued a proclamation restricting entry to the United States by nationals of 39 countries plus individuals traveling on Palestinian Authority (PA)-issued travel documents. This proclamation (set to take effect January 1, 2026) expands on the one from June 4, 2025, which suspended the entry of certain foreign nationals from 19 countries. (See CRS Insight IN12561, Presidential Proclamation of June 4, 2025, Restricting the Entry of Certain Foreign Nationals.) 

Both proclamations differentiate between countries whose nationals are subject to "full suspension" (barring entry of immigrants and nonimmigrants) and those subject to "partial suspension" (barring entry of immigrants as well as certain classes of nonimmigrants) (see Figure 1). 

The proclamations have a stated policy goal of protecting U.S. citizens from foreign nationals "who intend to commit terrorist attacks, threaten our national security and public safety, incite hate crimes, or otherwise exploit the immigration laws for malevolent purposes." The Administration cited, among other things, two immigration-related legal authorities. Under Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), the President has the authority "to suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens" whenever the President "finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States." Under INA §215(a), the President may prescribe limitations and exceptions on who may enter or depart the United States. 

Who is included in the restrictions?

Nationals of listed countries who are outside the United States on January 1, 2026, and do not have a valid visa are subject to the suspension. Section 2 of the proclamation continues the full suspension of entry for nationals of 12 countries; Section 4 adds 7 countries plus individuals traveling on PA-issued travel documents. Entries of immigrants and nonimmigrants from these countries are considered "fully suspended": Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. 

The December proclamation also continues and expands on the partial suspension set forth in June, which applied to nationals of seven countries. Under Sections 3 and 5 of the December proclamation, the entry of nationals of 20 countries is considered "partially suspended": Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Venezuela, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. For these countries (with the exception of Turkmenistan), the entry of immigrants is suspended, as is the entry of nonimmigrants on B visas (visitors for business or tourism), F visas (academic students), M visas (vocational students), and J visas (exchange visitors). For each of these countries, the proclamation directs consular officers to reduce the validity of all other nonimmigrant visas to the extent permitted by law. Visa validity refers to the period during which the traveler can use the visa to travel to the United States and apply for admission; this is different from the authorized period of stay that the traveler is granted upon admission.

The December proclamation lifts the restrictions on nonimmigrants from Turkmenistan, but the entry of immigrants from Turkmenistan remains suspended. Laos and Sierra Leone were among the "partially suspended" countries in June but were moved to "fully suspended" in December. 

Who is not included in the restrictions?

Section 6(b) of the proclamation provides the following exceptions to the suspensions:

• lawful permanent residents;
• dual nationals traveling on passports of non-designated countries; 
• travelers on diplomatic visas;
• athletes, coaches, support staff, and immediate relatives traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting events;
• Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) for U.S. government employees; and
• immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran.

Compared to the June proclamation, the December proclamation removes categorical exceptions for immediate relatives of U.S. citizens, adoptions, and Afghan SIVs. 

The December proclamation provides that the Attorney General, Secretary of State, and Secretary of Homeland Security may make additional exceptions on a case-by-case basis for individuals whose travel would serve a U.S. national interest.

What are the bases for countries to be included?

The June proclamation directed the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Director of National Intelligence, to recommend whether its suspensions should be continued, terminated, modified, or supplemented. They recommended continuing restrictions for certain countries and applying restrictions to additional countries. 

President Trump cites screening and vetting deficiencies as the overarching reason for the suspensions. He also cites foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism goals and countries' information-sharing policies, visa overstay rates, cooperation with accepting back removable nationals from the United States, and terrorist presence. 

For the 24 countries/authority with new restrictions, the December proclamation outlines specific reasons for their inclusion. Overstay rates are reported for 19 of the 24 countries. A lack of cooperation on accepting repatriations is mentioned for five countries; a lack of a competent or cooperative central government authority for issuing passports or sharing information is mentioned for three cases; and a nexus to terrorism is cited in four cases. Unlike the June proclamation, the December one includes countries (i.e., Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica) on the basis of their offering citizenship by investment programs, which are noted as posing additional screening challenges. 

How long will the suspensions last?

The proclamation provides no expiration date. It directs the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Attorney General, Secretary of Homeland Security, and Director for National Intelligence, to report to the President within 180 days, and every 180 days thereafter, whether the suspensions should be continued, terminated, modified, or supplemented.

• About the author: Jill H. Wilson, Analyst in Immigration Policy
• Source: This article was published by the Congressional Research Service (CRS)