Trump Signs Muslim Ban (Executive Order 13769) Causing Airport Chaos and Mass Visa Revocations

President Trump signed Executive Order 13769, titled “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States,” banning citizens from seven predominantly Muslim countries—Syria, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen—from entering the United States for 90 days. The order indefinitely suspended Syrian refugee entry, reduced 2017 refugee admissions to 50,000, and suspended the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program for 120 days.

The ban took effect immediately upon signing, causing instant chaos at U.S. airports as customs officers struggled to implement the poorly coordinated policy. More than 60,000 valid visas were revoked overnight, stranding travelers mid-flight and separating families. Legal permanent residents and valid visa holders were detained, interrogated, and in some cases deported despite having legal authorization to enter the United States.

The order’s rushed rollout revealed authoritarian governance patterns: no interagency coordination, no legal review beyond White House counsel, and no preparation for implementation. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis was not consulted despite the order affecting Iraqi translators who had risked their lives helping U.S. forces. State Department diplomats circulated internal dissent memos opposing the ban.

Rudy Giuliani later admitted on Fox News that Trump had asked him “how to do a Muslim ban legally,” confirming the order’s discriminatory religious intent despite White House denials. A federal court issued a nationwide temporary restraining order on February 3, 2017, finding the ban likely unconstitutional. The order was superseded by a revised version (EO 13780) on March 6, 2017, after courts blocked enforcement.