It was late January 2017 when the first "travel ban" hit the news cycles like a freight train. You probably remember the images: thousands of protesters flooding JFK and LAX, lawyers sitting on airport floors with laptops, and families separated by a signature on an executive order. People were confused. They were angry. Mostly, they just wanted to know: did Trump ban travel, or was it just a temporary pause?
The reality is complicated. Honestly, it wasn't a single event. It was a series of legal battles, policy pivots, and eventually, a total of three different versions of the same core idea. And now, in early 2026, we’re seeing history repeat itself with a massive expansion of these policies. If you’re trying to keep up with who can come in and who’s stuck outside, it’s a bit of a maze.
The 2017 "Muslim Ban" Controversy Explained (Simply)
The whole thing started with Executive Order 13769. It didn't mention religion by name, but it targeted seven Muslim-majority countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. It was a 90-day freeze on entry for their citizens and a 120-day halt on all refugees. Syrian refugees? They were banned indefinitely.
Chaos. That’s the only word for it.
The order went into effect immediately. People already in the air—green card holders, students, grandparents—landed to find they couldn't leave the airport. Within days, federal judges started blocking it. They argued it was discriminatory. Trump’s team argued it was about "extreme vetting" and national security.
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Eventually, the administration pivoted. They took Iraq off the list, loosened some rules for green card holders, and issued a second version. When that got blocked too, a third version (Proclamation 9645) finally made it to the Supreme Court in 2018. The Court ruled 5-4 that the President did have the authority to do this, mostly because the final version included non-Muslim countries like North Korea and some Venezuelan officials.
Fast Forward: The 2026 Expansion
If you thought the travel ban was a relic of the past, think again. As of January 1, 2026, the policy has been supercharged. We aren't just talking about seven countries anymore. We're talking about 39.
President Trump issued Proclamation 10998 in December 2025, which went live just a couple of weeks ago. It’s a massive list. It basically splits the world into "full suspension" and "partial restriction" zones.
Who is on the "Total Ban" list now?
There are 19 countries where, basically, if you don't already have a visa, you aren't getting one. No tourism, no immigration, nothing.
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- Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), and Syria.
- A huge chunk of Africa: Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, Somalia, and Sudan.
- Haiti and Iran.
- Individuals with Palestinian Authority-issued travel documents.
What about the "Partial Ban"?
Then there’s the second group. These are 20 countries where immigrant visas are blocked, and it’s much harder to get a B-1/B-2 tourist visa or a student visa.
- Nigeria is the big one here. Historically, Nigerians get over 100,000 visas a year. Now? That door is mostly shut.
- Tonga, Fiji, and Turkmenistan are also on there.
- Cuba and Venezuela remain under tight restrictions.
The White House says this is about "visa overstay rates." For example, they pointed to Tonga, saying about 14% of their students overstayed their visas. Critics, like the American Immigration Council, say it's just a way to curb legal immigration from the "third world."
Did Trump Ban Travel During COVID-19?
People often confuse the "Travel Ban" with the COVID-19 restrictions. They’re different tools. In early 2020, Trump used his authority to block travelers who had recently been in China, then later the Schengen Area (Europe), the UK, and Brazil.
That wasn't about vetting or national security in a "terrorism" sense; it was a public health move. However, it set a precedent for how quickly the border could be shut down. Those COVID bans actually stayed in place long after Trump left office the first time, only being lifted by the Biden administration in late 2021.
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The Real-World Fallout
This isn't just about paperwork. It’s about the 2026 World Cup, for starters. Senegal and Cote d'Ivoire—two massive soccer nations—are on the restricted list. If fans don't already have their visas, they’re basically barred from coming to the U.S. to watch their teams play this summer.
Families are the hardest hit. Under the new 2026 rules, the "immediate relative" exception is gone. If you're a U.S. citizen and your spouse or child is in one of the 19 "full ban" countries, you can't just bring them over anymore. You have to apply for a "national interest waiver," and those are notoriously hard to get. In the first year of the original ban, the government only granted about 6% of waiver requests.
How to Navigate This Right Now
If you or someone you know is affected, don't panic, but do act fast. The rules are changing almost weekly.
- Check Your Visa Date: If you had a valid visa before January 1, 2026, the ban technically doesn't apply to you. You should be able to travel.
- The "Dual National" Loophole: If you have a passport from a country that isn't banned (say, you have both Iranian and Canadian citizenship), you can still apply for a visa using your "safe" passport.
- Waiver Preparation: If you're stuck, start building a "National Interest Waiver" case immediately. You need to prove that your entry is in the interest of the U.S., that you aren't a threat, and that your denial would cause "undue hardship."
It's a tough landscape. The legal challenges are already piling up in courts in Hawaii and Washington, but for now, the ban is the law of the land.
What you should do next
Check the official State Department Visa News page for the specific list of 39 countries and read the fine print on Proclamation 10998. If you have an upcoming visa interview and you’re from a restricted country, consult an immigration attorney before you attend, as your application might be "frozen" the moment you walk in.