New Trump travel ban could bar Afghans, Pakistanis soon, sources say

By Jonathan Landay, Ted Hesson and Humeyra Pamuk

March 7, 2025

Summary

Top US officials due to submit travel ban report

Sources say Afghanistan, Pakistan flagged for possible bans

Tens of thousands of Afghans could be affected

WASHINGTON, March 5 (Reuters) - A new travel ban by President Donald Trump could bar people from Afghanistan and Pakistan from entering the U.S. as soon as next week based on a government review of countries' security and vetting risks, three sources familiar with the matter said.

The three sources, who requested anonymity, said other countries could also be on the list but did not know which ones.

The move harkens back to the Republican president's first term ban on travelers from seven majority-Muslim nations, a policy that went through several iterations before it upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.

Former President Joe Biden, a Democrat who succeeded Trump, repealed the ban in 2021, calling it “a stain on our national conscience.”

The new ban could affect tens of thousands of Afghans who have been cleared for resettlement in the U.S. as refugees or on Special Immigrant Visas because they are at risk of Taliban retribution for working for the U.S. during a 20-year war in their home country.

Trump issued an executive order on January 20 requiring intensified security vetting of any foreigners seeking admission to the U.S. to detect national security threats.

The departments of State, Justice and Homeland Security and the Office of the Director for National Intelligence, whose leaders are overseeing the initiative, did not respond immediately to requests for comment