U.S. President Donald J. Trump Further Restricts and Limits the Entry of Foreign Nationals

The proclamation invokes authority under sections 212(f) and 215(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act to safeguard national security and public safety.

UNITED STATES — President Donald J. Trump signed a proclamation on December 16 expanding restrictions on the entry of foreign nationals into the United States. This action builds upon a June proclamation that restored and updated measures from his first administration.

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The restrictions address persistent deficiencies in screening, vetting, information-sharing, high visa overstay rates, and other risks identified through inter-agency assessments. The proclamation invokes authority under sections 212(f) and 215(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act to safeguard national security and public safety.

The White House fact sheet accompanying the proclamation states: “Today, President Donald J. Trump signed a Proclamation expanding and strengthening entry restrictions on nationals from countries with demonstrated, persistent, and severe deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information-sharing to protect the Nation from national security and public safety threats.”

This expansion continues full restrictions on 12 countries established earlier and adds five more to that category. Partial measures, focused on certain non-immigrant visa classes, apply to additional nations based on overstay data from the Department of Homeland Security’s Fiscal Year 2024 Entry/Exit Overstay Report.

The report, released July 16, documents 46,657,108 expected departures for non-immigrants admitted via air or sea, with a total overstay rate of 1.15 percent.

Subsequent processing as of February 6, 2025, reduced suspected in-country overstays to 427,204, yielding a rate of 0.92 percent. The document emphasizes methodological improvements in automated accounting for extensions and status changes.

Exemptions preserve entry for lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders, diplomats, athletes in major events, and case-by-case determinations advancing U.S. interests.

Key Provisions of the Proclamation, Analysis: