Refugee Congress Condemns Trump Administration’s New Discriminatory Travel Ban

Refugee Congress strongly condemns the Trump administration’s sweeping new travel ban targeting individuals from 19 countries, many of which are Muslim-majority or home to vulnerable populations in crisis. This unjust and discriminatory policy is a dangerous step backward for our country and a direct assault on the values of fairness, inclusion, and protection for those fleeing persecution, violence, and war.

“We are repeating history in the worst possible ways. This travel ban is a continuation of the discriminatory policies that defined the first Trump administration,” said Nili Sarit Yossinger, Executive Director. “It does not protect our communities. It does not enhance our national security. Instead, it undermines our values and shuts the door on families, students, refugees, and asylum seekers who have every right to seek safety and opportunity in the United States.”

The administration’s new proclamation imposes full travel restrictions on 12 countries—including Afghanistan, Burma, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen—and partial restrictions on seven others. These restrictions affect people seeking to study, visit family, or flee violence and persecution, with only narrow exceptions. This sweeping policy echoes the 2017 “Muslim Ban,” which was widely denounced and eventually repealed, yet the latest iteration renews the same discriminatory and harmful logic.

This ban will disproportionately harm refugees, forcibly displaced people, and families already separated by war and political upheaval. 

“The administration’s recent decision to reinstate a travel ban and restrictions on these 19 countries has reopened old wounds and brought back deeply traumatic memories for me. It is devastating to see entire nations and cultures placed into a box, marked as dangerous or undeserving,” said Meriem, Delegate for Minnesota. “The promises we heard from this administration was that America would remain a welcoming home for those who abide by its laws and values — that it would protect the vulnerable and only go after those who commit violence. But this travel ban tells us something different. It tells us that, no matter our character, our dreams, or our sacrifices, we are unwelcome because of where we are born.”

"Banning entry to the United States from certain countries will exacerbate the challenges faced by marginalized populations, including refugees who have fled their homelands due to persecution from dictatorial regimes. This travel ban is a disaster for the thousands of families desperately waiting to be reunited with their loved ones,” said Ally Ntumba, Delegate for Indiana.

“As a former refugee from South Sudan, I know firsthand that seeking safety is not a crime—it’s a human right. Travel bans that target nations in crisis do not protect borders; they close doors on families, dreams, and dignity. We must not let fear write policies where compassion and justice should lead,” said Rose Lokwang, Delegate for Ohio.

“This cruel and unjust travel ban targets people who are already fleeing war, persecution, and hardship, many of whom simply seek safety and a chance to rebuild. It especially harms Black and brown communities and continues a dangerous pattern of racial profiling in U.S. immigration policy,” said Rahab Kinity, Associate Delegate. “This policy does not protect, it punishes. We must speak out and fight back against this fear driven, discriminatory agenda. America should be a place of refuge and hope, not exclusion and division.”

"As a naturalized U.S. citizen born in a country now under a partial travel ban, I feel the quiet sting of exclusion not for myself, but for the countless people, including students, whose dreams now stall at borders, and for those who longed for a glimpse of America, even for a moment only to find that hope quietly taken away,” said Aisha Koroma, Delegate for Washington, D.C..

“As an Afghan asylee and former director of policy at the Afghan National Security Council, I am deeply disheartened by this new travel ban. Many Afghans stood alongside U.S. troops and supported joint values at great personal risk. This policy punishes those who resisted terrorism and fled persecution. It denies our children the chance to reunite with their parents and rebuild their lives in safety. We urge the administration to uphold its moral and strategic obligations and grant case-by-case humanitarian exceptions, especially for family reunification cases already under U.S. vetting,” said Mohibullah Noori, Associate Delegate. 

“The travel ban is more than a policy—it is a rejection of our shared humanity. By singling out African and Muslim-majority countries, it sends a devastating message that some lives are less worthy of safety, dignity, and belonging. As someone who fled war and was given a second chance through compassion, I know what it means to be welcomed when all hope is lost. We cannot allow fear to override our moral responsibility. Standing against this ban is not about politics—it’s about protecting the soul of who we are and the promise of who we can be when we choose love over hate, and dignity over division,” said Dauda Sesay, Vice Chair.

"This travel ban abandons America's moral obligation to protect those fleeing persecution and violence. Refugees and asylum seekers are not security threats—they are survivors who have already endured the most rigorous vetting process, often waiting years for safety. We cannot turn our backs on the most vulnerable when they need sanctuary most,” said Myra Dahgaypaw, Honorary Delegate.

"As the administration implements a travel ban targeting specific nations, we urge leadership to pursue justice rooted in compassion, not exclusion. Travel bans don’t protect - they divide. This policy does not reflect the compassion or courage that defines our communities. Instead, it undermines our unity and unjustly punishes families who are seeking safety, stability, and a future. Let our borders reflect hope. Let our actions reflect humanity," said S.D., Delegate for New Mexico.

Refugee Congress joins organizations across the country in calling on Congress and the American public to reject this travel ban, demand its immediate repeal, and stand in solidarity with those affected. The United States must remain a place of refuge for people fleeing violence and persecution, not a country that arbitrarily excludes them based on race, nationality, or faith.

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Media Contact: Sheridan Block sheridan.block@refugeecongress.org