BY: DM
Published 46 seconds ago
Thanks to President Donald Trump’s new travel ban, some permanent residents in America do not feel safe. Trump’s newly announced travel ban, announced in early June, tightens restrictions on visitors from 19 countries. It bars nationals of 12 countries outright and partly restricts travel from seven more. In theory, the ban should not target permanent U.S residents. Both the White House proclamation and news reports emphasize that anyone with a valid green card is exempt.
However, not everyone is at ease. Here is a look at how Trump’s travel ban could impact permanent residents who decide to travel outside of America.
Permanent residents should be able to reenter the country easily.
The official proclamation, signed June 4, lists Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen under a full suspension of entry. A partial ban applies to Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Turkmenistan, Togo, and Venezuela nationals. These suspensions apply only to people who are outside the U.S. on June 9 without a valid visa.
In other words, anyone in the U.S. already, or anyone abroad who holds a valid visa on that date, is exempt. Importantly, the proclamation spells out categorical exceptions. It says the restrictions “shall not apply to … any lawful permanent resident of the United States.” Additionally, State Department guidance sent to U.S. embassies instructed consular officers not to cancel or revoke visas already issued, AP reports.
Several other groups are also exempt. Dual nationals can use a passport from an unaffected country, and immediate relatives of U.S. citizens (spouses, children under 21, parents) are allowed entry. However, they must prove their relationship, and DNA evidence may be required. In theory, the ban focuses on visa applications, not on stripping current permanent residents of their status.
What does this mean for green-card holders?
If you have a green card, you are not directly affected by these new rules. The ban leaves permanent residents free to travel and return, subject to the usual rules. U.S. Customs and Border Protection will still inspect a green card holder on re-entry, but there’s no special bar. USCIS reminds green-card holders that “temporary or brief travel usually does not affect your permanent resident status.” Essentially, as long as a permanent resident maintains ties and a home in the U.S., short international trips remain routine.
If anything, green-card holders might even take some comfort from the extra clarity this ban provides. Unlike the chaotic rollout of Trump’s 2017 travel order, today, officials have announced the rules in advance and flagged the LPR exemption. Travelers have been warned that visa interviews for nationals of the affected countries will be denied unless an applicant qualifies for a narrow waiver. However, for someone holding a green card and a valid passport, the process at the airport or port of entry should be business as usual.
Permanent residents must still follow normal immigration rules. A green card holder who lets their card expire, or who stays abroad too long without a reentry permit, could face other issues. Those problems aren’t new, though — they existed long before this ban.
Do you think Trump’s new travel ban creates confusion or fear for green-card holders, even if they’re technically exempt? Comment below!
