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Original Date Announced
December 16, 2025President Trump issued Proclamation 10998, which implements new and additional travel restrictions on nationals from 20 countries. The proclamation announces a total ban on entry for citizens of Burkina Faso, Laos, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Syria, and the Palestinian authority, and a partial ban on entry for citizens from Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Cote d ‘Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Proclamation 10998 builds on Proclamation 10949, issued in June 2025, which banned entry into the United States by citizens of 12 countries (Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen) and partially suspends the entry of citizens of 7 countries (Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela) as visitors or students. Proclamation 10998 will subject citizens of Laos and Sierra Leone to a complete entry ban, superseding the partial entry ban announced in June. It also alters the partial entry ban applied to Turkmenistan, lifting the ban for nonimmigrant visas including B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas, but retaining the ban for citizens of Turkmenistan applying for entry as immigrants. Combined, the two proclamations fully restrict entry of nationals from 19 countries and Palestine, and partially restrict entry of nationals from 20 countries.
Proclamation 10998 contains limited exceptions for lawful permanent residents, visaholders in certain categories including athletes and government officials, and those for whom DHS determines that "travel by the individual would serve a United States national interest."
It will be effective January 1, 2026.
Trump 2.0 [ID #2122]
2025.12.19 Proclamation 10998 - Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals To Protect the Security of the United StatesEffective Date
January 1, 2026Current Status
NoneOriginal Trump Policy Status
Status: Final/ActualTrump Administration Action: Presidential OrdersSubject Matter: Immigrant Visas Non-Immigrant Visas HumanitarianAssociated or Derivative Policies
Documents
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Commentary
2025.12.19 American Immigration Council - President Trump Expands His Travel Ban: What You Need to Know
The American Immigration Council provides an overview of Proclamation 10998 and explains how it expands Proclamation 10949. It explains that the ban now affects 39 countries, blocking roughly one in five people seeking to immigrate legally and placing hundreds of thousands more in limbo for non-immigrant visas or pending applications within the U.S. It also questions the administration's national security rationale for the ban and alleges racial and religious bias, particularly against African and Muslim immigrants.
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