Five Graphs Illustrating the Impact of President Trump’s Travel Ban on Affected Individuals

President Donald Trump recently announced new travel restrictions for nationals from 19 countries, reviving one of the more contentious policies from his first term. The directive, which takes effect Monday, outright bans entry for citizens from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.

Additionally, it introduces partial bans and visa restrictions for Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. During his first term, Trump imposed similar travel restrictions, targeting many of the same nations, including Iran, Libya, and Venezuela.

Data from the State Department indicates that approximately 139,000 visas were issued to individuals from these 19 countries in the 2023 fiscal year, with the highest number going to visitors from Venezuela. Most of these visas were for tourism and business purposes.

In justifying the new restrictions, Trump cited concerns over security and terrorism, claiming that visitors from several of the affected countries often overstayed their visas. However, data from the Department of Homeland Security shows that while some of these countries had notable overstay rates, the actual number of overstayers was relatively low.

For example, Eritrea recorded the second-highest overstay rate, yet only about 200 individuals overstayed their visas, which is insignificant compared to numbers from countries like Mexico, India, or Brazil. Overall, the travel restrictions underscore an ongoing debate surrounding national security versus immigration policy, as the administration aims to balance risks with the contributions of diverse immigrant communities.