Executive Order Calling for Enhanced Screening and Vetting of Foreign Nationals

On January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats,” which directs federal agencies to recommend and implement enhanced vetting and screening for all foreign nationals intending to enter, or already present in, the United States. This order may reinstate and expand upon directives Trump issued during his first term, restricting travel to the United States by certain foreign nationals (sometimes referred to as a “travel ban”). Notably, in 2018, the US Supreme Court held, by a 5-4 majority, that the President has the authority to exclude foreign nationals when he determines that the entry would be detrimental to the United States. Executive Order Calling for Enhanced Screening and Vetting of Foreign Nationals | Insights | Mayer Brown