Executive Order 13769

Executive Order 13769
Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States
U.S. President Donald Trump signing the order at the Pentagon, with Vice President Mike Pence (left) and Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis
Executive Order 13769 in the Federal Register
TypeExecutive order
Number13769
PresidentDonald Trump
SignedJanuary 27, 2017 (2017-01-27)
Federal Register details
Federal Register
document number
2017-02281
Publication dateJanuary 27, 2017 
Document citation82 FR 8977 
Summary
  • Suspends the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program for 120 days*
  • Restricts admission of citizens from seven countries for 90 days*
  • Orders list of countries for entry restrictions after 90 days
  • Suspends admission of Syrian refugees indefinitely
  • Prioritizes refugee claims by individuals from minority religions on the basis of religious-based persecution
  • Expedites a biometric tracking system
  • Other provisions
* Not in force since 3 February 2017
Repealed by
Executive Order 13780, "Protecting The Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into The United States", March 16, 2017

Executive Order 13769, titled Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States, labeled the "Muslim ban" by Donald Trump and his supporters and critics alike, and commonly known as such, or commonly referred to as the Muslim travel ban, Trump travel ban, the Trump Muslim travel ban, or the Trump Muslim Immigration Ban, was an executive order by President Trump. Except for the extent to which it was blocked by various courts, it was in effect from January 27, 2017, until March 6, 2017, when it was superseded by Executive Order 13780, a second order sharing the title "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States".

Part of a series of executive actions, Executive Order 13769 lowered the number of refugees to be admitted into the United States in 2017 to 50,000, suspended the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) for 120 days, suspended the entry of Syrian refugees indefinitely, directed some cabinet secretaries to suspend entry of those whose countries do not meet adjudication standards under U.S. immigration law for 90 days, and included exceptions on a case-by-case basis. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) listed these countries as Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. Iraq was also included until it was dropped following sharp criticism from the Iraqi government and promises of improved vetting of Iraqi citizens in collaboration with the Iraqi government. More than 700 travelers were detained, and up to 60,000 visas were "provisionally revoked".

The signing of the executive order provoked widespread condemnation and protests and resulted in legal intervention against the enforcement of the order. Critics referred to it as a "Muslim ban," because President Trump had previously called for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States, and because all of the affected countries had a Muslim majority, although the affected Muslims were only 12% of the global Muslim population. Critics proposed that this was due to Trump having business ties with Muslim majority countries which were excluded. A nationwide temporary restraining order (TRO) was issued on February 3, 2017, in the case Washington v. Trump, which was upheld by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on February 9, 2017. Consequently, the Department of Homeland Security stopped enforcing portions of the order and the State Department re-validated visas that had been previously revoked. Later, other orders (Executive Order 13780 and Presidential Proclamation 9645) were signed by President Trump and superseded Executive Order 13769. On June 26, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the third Executive Order (Presidential Proclamation 9645) and its accompanying travel ban in a 5–4 decision, with the majority opinion being written by Chief Justice John Roberts.

On January 20, 2021, President Joe Biden, shortly after he was inaugurated, revoked Executive Order 13780 and related proclamations with Presidential Proclamation 10141.

On his first day returning to office in 2025, Trump signed Executive Order 14161, titled "Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats” which was described by critics as reviving a version of the travel ban implemented by Executive Order 13780, though it was described as more expansive compared to Executive Order 13780.