International Travel Considerations

The situation involving international travel for foreign nationals – including permanent residents (green card holders), visa holders and others who are eligible to legally enter the US – is evolving on a daily basis. For now, our advice is that anyone with any issues in their record (prior arrests, immigration violations, social media posts/texts/emails/photos/videos critical of the government or otherwise speaking out against the government, etc.) should be extremely careful about traveling and delay or cancel any non-essential trips. Travelers should also note that immigration inspectors at airports/border crossings have reportedly been checking phones, laptops and bags with increasing frequency. Individuals with clean records and nothing controversial in their past should be allowed to re-enter the US as before, although everyone should be prepared for a higher level of screening/scrutiny than before, and the possibility of having the bad luck of getting an aggressive or confrontational officer at the airport/border crossing.

In addition, the country/countries visited during an overseas trip, as well as the individual’s country of nationality, should also factor into the analysis – especially if traveling to or from a country that has strained ties to the US.

Finally, we are expecting the Trump administration to issue a new travel ban in the coming days, which will need to factor into any international travel decisions as well. We will provide an update once it has been announced.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this, please contact your KM&M attorney.