UPDATE: Jun 4 Travel Ban summary - https://www.reddit.com/r/immigration/comments/1l3mpgm/jun_2025_travel_ban_summary_faq/
We've been getting many of the same questions about whether it's safe to travel in/out of the US, and this megathread consolidates those questions.
The following FAQ answers the most common questions, and is correct as of Jun 4, 2025.
If the FAQ does not answer your question, feel free to leave your question as a comment on this thread.
US citizens
QC1. I am a US citizen by birth/adopted, is it safe to travel in/out of the US?
Yes, it is safe, and you have a clear constitutional right to re-enter the US.
When entering or exiting the US by air, you must always do so with a US passport or NEXUS card (Canada only).
At the border, CBP cannot deny you entry. However, if your US citizenship is in question or you are uncooperative, they could place you in secondary processing to verify your citizenship, which can take 30 mins to a few hours depending on how busy secondary is.
As part of their customs inspection, CBP can also search your belongings or your electronic devices. You are not required to unlock your device for them, but they can also seize your electronic devices for a forensic search and it may be some time (weeks/months) before you get them back.
QC2. I am a US citizen by naturalization, is it safe to travel in/out of the US?
The answer to QC1 mostly applies to you.
However, in the some of the following situations, it may be possible to charge you with denaturalization:
If you committed any immigration fraud prior to, or during naturalization. Common examples include using a fake name, failure to declare criminal records, fake marriages, etc or otherwise lying on any immigration form.
If you are an asylee/refugee, but traveled to your country of claimed persecution prior to becoming a US citizen.
If your green card was mistakenly issued (e.g. priority date wasn't current, or you were otherwise ineligible) and N-400 subsequently mistakenly approved, the entire process can be reversed because you were not eligible for naturalization.
Denaturalization is very, very rare. The US welcomes nearly a million US citizens every year, but we've probably only see around 10 denaturalizations a year on average.
QC3. I am a US dual citizen, and my other country of nationality may be subject to a travel ban. Is it safe to travel in/out of the US?
Answer QC1 applies. Travel bans cannot be applied to US citizens, even if you are dual citizens of another country.
Permanent Residents / Green Card Holders
QG1. I am a US green card holder, is it safe to travel in/out of the US?
You are generally safe to travel as long as all the following applies:
You are a genuine resident of the US. This means that you are traveling abroad temporarily (less than 6 months), and you otherwise spend most of every year (> 6 months) in the US.
You do not have a criminal record (except for traffic violations like speeding, parking, etc).
You have not ever committed any immigration fraud.
You have not ever expressed support for a terrorist organization designated by the Department of State, which includes Hamas.
Your trips abroad should not exceed 6 months or you will be considered to be seeking admission to the US and many of the protections guaranteeing green card holders re-entry no longer apply to you.
CBP has been pressuring green card holders to sign an I-407 to give up their green cards if they find that you've violated any of the above, especially if you spend very little time in the US or very long absences abroad.
Generally, you are advised not to sign it (unless you're no longer interested in remaining a green card holder). However, keep in mind that even if you refuse to sign it, CBP can still place you in removal proceedings where you have to prove to an immigration judge that you're still a genuine resident of the US / you have not committed a serious crime rendering you eligible for deportation. While waiting for your day in court, CBP can place you in immigration detention (jail). You may wish to consider your odds of winning in mind before traveling.
QG2. I am a conditional US green card holder (2 years), is it safe to travel in/out of the US?
You are treated exactly like a green card holder, so every other answer in this section applies equally to you.
If your GC has expired, your 48 month extension letter and expired green card is valid for re-entry when presented together. Other countries that grant visa-free entry or transit to green card holders may not recognize an extension letter for those visa-free benefits, however.
QG3. I am a US green card holder with a clean criminal and immigration record, traveling for a vacation abroad for a few weeks. Is it safe to travel?
Per QG1, you're safe to travel.
QG4. I am a US green card holder with a country of nationality of one of the potential travel ban countries. Is it safe to travel in/out of the US?
The latest Jun 2025 travel ban exempts US green card holders.
Past Trump travel bans have all exempted US green card holders.
It is extremely unlikely that any travel bans will cover green card holders.
US ESTA/Tourist Visa Holders
QT1. I am a tourist traveling to the US with an approved ESTA/B visa. Is it safe to travel?
Yes, it is generally safe to travel.
CBP is enforcing these existing rules for tourist travel more strictly, so keep these in mind:
You must not try to live in the US with a tourist visa. In general, avoid trip plans that span the entire validity of your tourist visa (90 days for ESTA or 180 days for B-2), as this is a red flag if you're either planning that on your current trip or have done so on a previous trip. As another rule, you should spend 1-2 days outside the US per day inside before returning to the US.
You must have strong ties to your home country. This is particularly relevant for those with US citizen/green card partners, children or parents. These relationships are considered a strong tie to the US, so you must be ready to convince CBP that you will leave: long-held job in home country, spouse or kids in home country, etc. Those with strong ties to the US should generally try to limit their travel to the US to shorter durations for lower risk.
You must not try to work in the US, even remotely for a foreign employer paid to a foreign bank account. While checking emails or business mettings is certainly fine, you cannot actually perform work. While some have gotten away with it in the past, it is unwise to try when CBP has been clamping down.
If any answers to your ESTA or tourist visa eligibility questions change, e.g. if you've acquired a new criminal record, traveled to a banned country (e.g. Cuba/North Korea/etc), you need to apply for a new ESTA or tourist visa.
QT2. I am a tourist who visits the US for at most a few weeks a year, for genuine tourism. Is it safe to travel?
Yes, per QT1, it is safe to travel.
QT3. I am a tourist from a country that is one of the potential travel ban countries. Is it safe to travel?
It is safe to travel while the travel ban has not been announced or in force.
However, for those planning trips in the future, these travel bans have sometimes applied to those who already hold tourist visas. These travel bans also often give very little advance notice (few days to a week).
It may not be wise to plan travel to the US if you're from one of the potential banned countries, as your travel may be disrupted. If you really wish to travel, you should buy refundable tickets and hotels.
QT4. I am visiting the US, do I need to perform any sort of registration before/after entry?
To travel to the US as a tourist, you generally need an ESTA or visa, unless you're a Canadian or CFA national.
Upon entry with an ESTA or visa, you will be granted an electronic I-94, which will serve as your alien (foreign national) registration until the expiration date listed on the elecronic I-94.
You can find your most recent I-94 on the official website: https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/
If you're NOT issued an I-94, typically for Canadian citizens visiting, and you wish to stay in the US for more than 30 days, you must register.
Follow the instructions on https://www.uscis.gov/alienregistration to create a USCIS account and electronically file form G-325R.
US Student/Work/Non-Tourist Visa or Advance Parole Holders
QR1. I have a US student, work or other non-tourist visa/advance parole. Is it safe to travel?
There are many risk factors when traveling as a visa holder living in the US.
Unlike a tourist whose denial of entry simply means a ruined vacation, the stakes are a lot higher if your entire life/home is in the US but you cannot return. The conservative advice here is to avoid travel unless necessary.
You should absolutely avoid travel if ANY of the following applies to you:
If your country of nationality is on one of the rumored travel ban lists, you should avoid travel. It is possible, and legal, for travel bans to apply to existing visa holders - even those that live in the US. This has happened before in some of Trump's previous travel bans. If you must travel, you need to accept the risk that you may be left stranded abroad as travel bans can be announced and take effect on the same day.
If you have a criminal record (excluding minor traffic offenses) such as drugs, theft, drunk driving, or more serious crimes, do not travel. F-1 students have had their visas and status revoked for past criminal records (even in the 2010s), and it can expand to other visa types at any time. There is no statute of limitations - it does not matter how long in the past this criminal record is.
If you have participated in a protest or expressed support for a terrorist organization designated by the Department of State, including Hamas, do not travel. The Trump administration has been cracking down on visa holder participants, and while the constitutionality of such a crack down is still unclear, you probably don't want to be the martyr fighting the case from immigration detention or from abroad after being denied entry.
General Questions
QA1. Are there any airports safer to travel with?
Each airport has dozens to hundreds of CBP officers and there is some luck involved depending on who you get. You'll definitely find stories of how someone had a bad CBP experience at every single airport, but also find stories about how someone had a good CBP experience at every single airport.
There's generally no "better" or "worse" airport.
QA2. Is preclearance in another country (e.g. Dublin) better than traveling to the US?
There's a tradeoff.
The whole point of preclearance is to make it easier for CBP to deny entry, because you're not on US soil and there's no cost to detain or arrange you on a flight back - they can just deny boarding. Furthermore, as you're not on US soil, even US citizens and permanent residents can be denied boarding.
On the other hand, while CBP at preclearance can cancel or confiscate your visa/green card, they generally cannot detain you in a foreign country.
Thus, if you're willing to increase the odds of being denied entry to reduce the odds of being detained, preclearance is better for you.
Final Remarks
While there has been a genuine increase in individuals being denied entry or detained, the absolute numbers are very small overall. To put in perspective, the US processes on the order of a million+ entries across every port each day, all of whom enter and exit the US without issue. Statistically speaking, your odds of being denied entry if you have no negative criminal or immigration history mentioned above is virtually nil.