Intro

President Donald Trump issued Executive Order 14161 in January 2025, titled Protecting the United States From Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats. This directive allows enhanced vetting and authorizes restrictions or bans on individuals who “threaten our national security”. 

On June 4, he made good on that promise. President Trump issued a proclamation banning nationals of 56 countries from entering the United States, while seven more nations face partial restrictions. The full ban targets majority-Muslim countries, such as Iran, Yemen, and Somalia, while the partial ban affects countries like Cuba, Venezuela, and Turkmenistan. This wave of restrictionist policies supports the administration’s rhetoric framing immigrants from Muslim-majority nations as security threats. 

The Travel Ban 2.0

The order authorizes sweeping restrictions on countries deemed to have “high terrorist threat levels”. But the effect brings back memories from 7 years ago: blocking nationals from Muslim-majority countries under the guise of security. Many of today’s fully-banned nations were previously affected by President Trump's original 2017 Muslim Ban–a policy President Biden reversed. This time around, the legal language is more refined, as it avoids obvious references to religion. 

The proclamation carves out members of athletic teams, existing visa holders, dual-nationals with a passport from a non-banned country, and children adopted by U.S. citizens. But it aims to restrict further immigration and will deny visas to already approved applicants who have not received their cards. 

Local Impact

For many Bay Area residents, this policy has created tangible, heart-wrenching predicaments that primarily impact Muslims. Think: a cancelled visa after months of following due process and finally getting approved; a missed wedding for your beloved family member; a parent who can no longer visit their children. Universities are now advising students from targeted countries to avoid travel altogether, fearing that they won’t be let back in. 

Across California, people are making their disapproval known. Hundreds of San Franciscans gathered outside of ICE offices, while Los Angeles is erupting in protests. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), America’s largest Muslim civil rights organization, calls the ban “ideologically motivated”. They urge impacted individuals to secure pertinent documents and learn about their rights. 

Policy Recommendations for Elected Officials

In response to Executive Order 14161 and its disproportionate impact on Muslim and immigrant communities, our elected officials must contribute towards restoring civil liberties and public trust.

City councils can pass resolutions opposing the travel ban as a commitment to inclusive, nondiscriminatory immigration policies. They can also partner with legal aid organizations to increase access to immigration attorneys, know-your-rights trainings, and mental health support for impacted individuals. At the state level, legislators can allocate funding for community-based immigrant support services and establish task forces to monitor the implementation of federal immigration policies. Additionally, they can mandate that universities and public institutions provide guidance and protection to students from targeted countries.

Members of Congress should consider legislative action to prevent future abuses of executive power regarding immigration. This includes passing laws that limit the president’s authority to enact sweeping travel bans without congressional oversight and establishing judicial review requirements for any executive order that significantly impacts immigration admissions.

Conclusion

While the administration frames its policy as a national security measure, the impact is undeniably personal for thousands of individuals. Bay Area residents (citizens and non-citizens alike) can push for change through community-level engagement. Urge your city council members through emails, letters, and phone calls to pass resolutions against this mandate. 

The 2017 Muslim Ban was widely criticized for disproportionately targeting Muslims and ethnic groups. And although the diction of Executive Order 14161 is different, the reality lived by those it harms ultimately remains the same.