March 6, 2025: President Donald Trump is expected to impose a new travel ban that could prevent people from Afghanistan and Pakistan from entering the United States as early as next week, according to sources familiar with the matter. The decision is based on a government review of countries’ security and vetting risks.
The move is reminiscent of Trump’s first-term ban on travelers from seven majority-Muslim nations, a policy that was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018. Former President Joe Biden repealed the ban in 2021, calling it “a stain on our national conscience.”
The new ban could impact tens of thousands of Afghans who have been cleared for resettlement in the US as refugees or on Special Immigrant Visas due to the risk of Taliban retribution for their work with the US during the 20-year war in Afghanistan.
Trump issued an executive order on January 20 requiring intensified security vetting of any foreigners seeking admission to the US to detect national security threats. The order directed several Cabinet members to submit a list of countries by March 12 from which travel should be partly or fully suspended due to deficient vetting and screening information.
Afghanistan and Pakistan are expected to be included in the recommended list of countries for a complete travel ban. The departments of State, Justice, and Homeland Security, along with the Office of the Director for National Intelligence, are overseeing the initiative but have not responded to requests for comment.
One source noted that Afghans cleared for resettlement in the US undergo intense screening, making them “more highly vetted than any population” in the world. The State Department office overseeing their resettlement is seeking an exemption for Special Immigrant Visa holders from the travel ban, but it is unlikely to be granted.
The Taliban, who seized Kabul in August 2021, are facing an insurgency by Islamic State’s regional branch, while Pakistan is grappling with violent Islamist militants. Trump’s directive is part of an immigration crackdown launched at the start of his second term.
Shawn VanDiver, head of #AfghanEvac, a coalition coordinating the evacuation and resettlement of Afghans with the US government, urged those holding valid US visas to travel as soon as possible. He warned that the new travel restriction could significantly impact Afghan visa holders awaiting relocation to the US.
There are approximately 200,000 Afghans approved for US resettlement or with pending refugee and Special Immigrant Visa applications. They have been stranded in Afghanistan and nearly 90 other countries, including about 20,000 in Pakistan, since Trump ordered a 90-day freeze on refugee admissions and foreign aid funding their flights.