WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Representative Judy Chu (D-Calif.) led 68 of their Democratic colleagues in sending a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to rescind his discriminatory travel ban that will keep families apart and devastate the U.S. economy. The members are demanding transparency into President Trump’s decision-making process and answers about how the travel ban will impact communities across the U.S.
In a letter addressed to President Trump, Secretary of Homeland Security Noem, Secretary of State Rubio, and Attorney General Bondi, the members outlined the disastrous consequences that President Trump’s travel ban will have on both families and the American economy.
“The effects of President Trump’s discriminatory travel ban will be devastating. In the last year alone over 126,000 visas have been issued to nationals from just the twelve countries on the fully restricted list. These are individuals who are looking to come to the United States to reunite with family, support our economy, or otherwise enrich our country in innumerable ways,” wrote the members.
During his first term, President Trump enacted extreme travel bans that disrupted thousands of lives and weakened our nation’s economy and global standing. On his first day in office, President Joe Biden rescinded these bans, but on June 4, 2025, President Trump enacted another sweeping, discriminatory travel ban.
President Trump is imposing full restrictions on entry into the United States from nationals of Afghanistan, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, and partial restrictions on entry from nationals of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela—meaning individuals from these countries cannot come to the U.S. permanently or apply for certain visas. President Trump is also reportedly considering imposing travel restrictions on an additional 36 countries.
“President Trump’s actions once again disgrace the founding principles of our nation and enshrine cruelty into our immigration system,” the members continue. “Additionally, this travel ban will harm our economy by depriving the United States of workers in key fields experiencing labor shortages like medicine and agriculture and further devastating our domestic tourism industry which is already expected to decline by $12.5 billion in 2025.”
As a result, the members demand accountability and answers from the Trump administration. The members wrote, “Given these severe impacts, we condemn this proclamation and urge President Trump to rescind it immediately. We also seek transparency into President Trump’s decision-making process and, accordingly, request answers to the following questions by July 3rd, 2025.”
Earlier this year, Senator Coons and Representative Chu, alongside 130 of their colleagues, reintroduced the National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants (NO BAN) Act, which would prevent any president from implementing a discriminatory travel ban by strengthening the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit discrimination based on religion. The bill would also require that any suspension of entry into the United States be narrowly tailored, backed by credible evidence, and subject to appropriate consultation with Congress.
You can read the full letter here.