Trump Restricts Visas for Muslim Citizens

WASHINGTON DC, MONDAY - United States President Donald Trump has ordered the screening of countries whose citizens will be banned from entering the US. He has revived the visa ban for countries with a majority Muslim population, similar to his first term in office.

That is part of Trump's executive order issued when he was inaugurated on January 20, 2025. The order is titled "Protecting the U.S. from Foreign Terrorists and Others."

Trump instructed the Department of State, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Justice to review countries deemed risky for the U.S. They must report by March 21, 2025.

So far, there has been no leak of countries included in the visa ban list. However, the media The New Arab, Sunday (3/9/2025) reported, a number of Libyan students had their visas revoked by the US. Even though they had flown to the US.

They were asked to go to the U.S. Embassy in Tunis, Tunisia for further interviews. For nearly the past decade, the U.S. Embassy in Libya has been closed.

In addition, several countries in the Middle East reported that U.S. embassies in their locations announced a ban on visa issuance. Revocation of permits was also applied to individuals already in the U.S.

The New York Times received a leak from two anonymous government officials. The countries banned are the same as in 2017: Iran, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Sudan, North Korea, Cuba and Venezuela.

In 2025, it is highly likely that Afghanistan and Pakistan will also be added to the list. These countries are divided into three categories: red, orange, and yellow.

Red is a country considered dangerous by Trump. Its citizens are completely prohibited from entering the US. Afghanistan is most likely one of them.

Orange category means strict and very limited visas, only allowed for business purposes. Tourists and immigrants are not allowed at all. Business visa applicants must attend an in-person interview at the US Embassy. Pakistan is most likely to fall into this category.

The yellow category is countries that are considered low risk. They are given 60 days to complete a report to the US Government regarding passport strictness, potential citizenship trading, etc.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has issued an appeal for citizens of those countries with US visas to not travel outside the US. Those currently outside the US are asked to return immediately.

"Immediately contact an immigration attorney to learn your rights. Always leave your home with all official documents of residence," CAIR said, decrying Trump's actions.

Meanwhile, Shawn Van Diver, director of AfghanEvac, a nonprofit that helps asylum seekers from Afghanistan, is in disarray. He has helped 200,000 Afghans in his own country and 51,000 Afghans abroad gain asylum in the US.

"They are the people who helped the US troops in Afghanistan. They are being persecuted by the Taliban. There is no way we are going to abandon them," Van Diver said.

According to him, these people were driven out of their hometowns when the Taliban carried out a coup in 2021. The US must not turn its back on, let alone betray, the people who have helped the US fight terrorists.

The State Department's Office of Afghan Resettlement is trying to secure visas before the unit closes in April, but it is unlikely to succeed.

Zane Kerby, Director of Travel Advisors, said this is a crazy policy. "Legitimate businesses in the US and the targeted countries are being destroyed. We also risk retaliation from the targeted countries or their allies," he said, as quoted by Travel Weekly.

Kerby worries that even if Americans are not banned from traveling to countries blocked by Trump, there is a risk that tourists and expats there will become targets of local hatred. This policy puts Americans abroad in a vulnerable position.

Trump's visa ban on people from Muslim-majority countries was previously reversed by 2021-2025 US President Joe Biden. "This is a shameful policy and a stain on the nation's values," he said.

Muslim Advocates Policy Officer Sumayyah Waheed told Al Jazeera that while the official ban list for Trump’s first term was eight, it has expanded beyond that number. Citizens of Tanzania, Eritrea, Nigeria, Kyrgyzstan and Myanmar are also barred from applying for US visas.

Muslim Advocates data noted that the number of Muslim asylum seekers dropped by 94 percent between January and December 2017. In addition, 40,000 were denied visas, for tourism, study, work, and family visits.

"The court ruled in our favor and 25,000 people whose visas were denied are in the process of being granted," Waheed said.

Meanwhile, The Nation magazine wrote that Trump's method this time is more cruel than his first term. He did it secretly to ensure that executive power reaches the legislative, judiciary, and immigration. Trump and his supporters want a US that is exclusive to white citizens.

"In the future, higher education will be affected by racist policies. Various studies will experience setbacks," wrote The Nation. (Reuters)