UPDATE: EXECUTIVE ORDERS ON IMMIGRATION

Page last updated: July 11, 201812:27 pm MST

Dear Members of the UNM Community:

This page provides a summary of actions and the effects of the Executive Orders (EO) on immigration first issued Friday, January 27, 2017, the subsequent related Executive Orders, and the June 26, 2018 US Supreme court decision upholding the final version of the Executive Order (a.k.a Travel Ban 3.0) on this topic.

Given the Supreme Court decision on June 26, 2018, GEO strongly recommends that individuals from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen, as well as the countries removed from the final version of the order (Chad, Iraq and Sudan) refrain from travel outside of the US if they do not currently hold valid US visas for re-entry. We also recommend that all affected individuals seek immigration advice before departing the US and that they contact the GEO office before traveling. Please keep in mind that some sources report more than a 75% reduction in visa issuance overall for students from these countries even given the student and scholar exceptions that exist for some countries on the final list.

We will continue to update this page as new information becomes available. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at iadvisor@unm.edu.

Travel Ban Update:

On June 26, 2018 the US Supreme Court upheld the travel ban proclamation of September 24, 2017 (a.k.a Travel Ban 3.0). One resource for more information, and a country-by-country breakdown of the policy is this page from NAFSA: Association of International Educators.

On September 24, 2017 President Trump issued a Presidential Proclamation, "Enhancing Vetting Capabilities and Processes for Detecting attempted entry into the United states by Terrorists or other Public-Safety Threats" restricting entry into the United States for nationals of eight countries. Nationals of Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, Yemen and Somalia will generally not be eligible for a visa unless they are exempted, excepted or granted a waiver. Country specific restrictions are available at Department of State, Department of Homeland Security and the White House

Effective dates are:

The September 24, 2017 effective date applies to nationals of Iran, Liby, Syria, Yemen, and Somalia who were subject to the 90-day entry ban of Executive Order 13780 who "lack credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States."

The October 18, 2017 effective date applies to nationals of Chad (until April 13, 2018, when Chad was removed from the list of 8 countries), North Korea, and Venezuela, and to nationals of Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, and Somalia "who have a credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States."

Resources:

Department of Homeland Security Frequently Asked Questions Travel Advisory for Nationals of Certain Countries Pursuant to Executive Orders

Summary by Country:

Iran

• Entry as an immigrant is suspended
• Entry of Iranian nationals "under valid student (F and M) and exchange visitor (J) visas is not suspended, although such individuals should be subject to enhanced screening and vetting requirements."
• Entry under other types of nonimmigrant visas is suspended

Read the full entry on Iran in the Proclamation

Libya

• Entry as an immigrant is suspended
• Entry is suspended for nonimmigrants on business (B-1), tourist (B-2), and business/tourist (B-1/B-2) visas
• Entry under other types of nonimmigrant visas is not suspended

Read the full entry on Libya in the Proclamation

North Korea

• Entry as an immigrant is suspended
• Entry is suspended for all nonimmigrant visas categories

Read the full entry on North Korea in the Proclamation

Syria

• Entry as an immigrant is suspended
• Entry is suspended for all nonimmigrant visas categories

Read the full entry on Syria in the Proclamation

Venezuela

• Entry is suspended for Venezuelan nonimmigrants on business (B-1), tourist (B-2), and business/tourist (B-1/B-2) visas, but only for officials of government agencies of Venezuela involved in screening and vetting procedures - including the Ministry of the Popular Power for Interior, Justice and Peace; the Administrative Service of Identification, Migration and Immigration; the Scientific, Penal and Criminal Investigation Service Corps; the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service; and the Ministry of the Popular Power for foreign Relations - and their immediate family members.
• Nationals of Venezuela not subject to the above suspension should nevertheless "be subject to appropriate additional measures to ensure traveler information remains current."

Read the full entry on Venezuela in the Proclamation

Yemen

• Entry as an immigrant is suspended
• Entry is suspended for nonimmigrants on business (B-1), tourist (B-2), and business/tourist (B-1/B-2) visas.
• Entry under other types of nonimmigrant visas is not suspended

Read the full entry on Yemen in the Proclamation

Somalia

• Entry as an immigrant is suspended
• "Visa adjudications for nationals of Somalia and decisions regarding their entry as nonimmigrants should be subject to additional scrutiny to determine if applicants are connected to terrorist organizations or otherwise pose a threat to the national security or public safety of the United States."

Read the full entry on Somalia in the Proclamation

Dear Students and Families

The Global Education Office affirms its support for undocumented students and families affected by the planned end of the U.S. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. As an international office, we understand first-hand the stress and concern generated by visa mandates and changing immigration regulations for international populations of all kinds. GEO is here as a resource and will continue to work with campus and community collaborators to voice our concern over the phasing out of the DACA program.

On September 5th, 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the Trump administration will end the DACA program, which has deferred deportations for those who came to the United States as young immigrants. Congress has been asked to come up with a legislative solution by the time the policy expires. The decision could affect roughly 800,000 young people who came to the U.S. illegally as children. While the ultimate fate of DACA and its protections are unknown, the Immigrant Legal Resource Center has provided a timely community advisory:What Do I Need to Know If the DACA Program Ends?

Look to the new undocumented.unm.edu website for updates about DACA, upcoming events, and for FAQs of university policies and procedures regarding federal immigration enforcement.