In response to the horrific November attack on National Guard members in Washington, D.C. and other geopolitical events, the President and U.S. immigration agencies have implemented initiatives and rolled out proposals to expand existing travel bans and dramatically increase vetting and personnel data collection of visa applicants and travelers entering and exiting the United States. The following is a brief summary of these impactful policies.

Travel Ban Expanded to Cover 39 Countries
On December 16, 2025, President Trump issued a Presidential Proclamation titled Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States. This action expands Presidential Proclamation 10949, issued on June 4, 2025 to impose entry restrictions on certain foreign nationals based on national security, public safety, and immigration integrity concerns under § 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The new proclamation is effective at 12:01 a.m. eastern standard time on January 1, 2026.

Key provisions include:

• Full Entry Bans: Extends full suspension of entry (immigrant and nonimmigrant visas) to nationals from a total of 19 countries whose vetting and security cooperation are considered deficient. This includes the 12 countries covered by Proclamation 10949: Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen; 7 additional countries: Burkina Faso, Laos,...

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