Search About Newsletters Donate
Support independent, nonprofit journalism.

Become a member of The Marshall Project during our year-end member drive. Our journalism has tremendous power to drive change, but we can’t do it without your support.

Graphics

Stranded in Trump's America

Hundreds of thousands of people from seven barred nations live in all parts of the U.S.

Who is potentially stranded by President Donald Trump's travel ban? Anyone born in one of seven countries who is not a full American citizen. More than 800,000 people born in Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen live in the United States. More than one-third of them—298,000—are not U.S. citizens, at least not yet, which means under Trump’s order they could face additional scrutiny or be denied reentry if they travel abroad. We made a series of maps to show where the Trump order hits hardest.

500 or more people from a

banned country

0 people

100 people

298,000

Non-citizens from the banned countries live in the United States, according to Census estimates

500 or more people from a

banned country

0 people

100 people

298,000

Non-citizens from the banned countries live in the United States, according to Census estimates

500 or more people from a

banned country

100

0

298,000

Non-citizens from the banned countries live in the United States, according to Census estimates

Source: 2010-2014 American Community Survey data, via IPUMS-USA, University of Minnesota

Census data from IPUMS-USA at the University of Minnesota shows us where non-citizens born in the seven banned countries live. These numbers do not include naturalized citizens of these nations who were born elsewhere. For instance, someone born in Saudi Arabia who holds an Iranian passport, would not be counted here. Still, this gives us a broad look at the number of people who could be directly affected by the executive order. And among the additional 500,000 U.S. citizens born in those nations, many would have family and neighbors who could get caught up in the policy as it unfurls. Here, we can see where non-citizens from each of the targeted countries reside:

Iraq

102,000 people

Iran

95,000 people

Somalia

39,000 people

Syria

25,000 people

Sudan

18,000 people

Yemen

15,000 people

Libya

4,000 people

Iraq

102,000 people

Iran

95,000 people

Syria

25,000 people

Somalia

39,000 people

Sudan

18,000 people

Yemen

15,000 people

Libya

4,000 people

Iraq

102,000 people

Iran

95,000 people

Somalia

39,000 people

Syria

25,000 people

Sudan

18,000 people

Yemen

15,000 people

Libya

4,000 people

Source: 2010-2014 American Community Survey data, via IPUMS-USA, University of Minnesota

As legal filings make their way through the courts, it’s unclear ultimately how the ban will proceed. On Monday night, The New York Times reported that acting Attorney General Sally Q. Yates ordered her staff not to defend the executive order in the courts. Yates, a holdover from the administration of President Barack Obama, was running the Justice Department until the Senate confirms Jeff Sessions as the new Attorney General, which could happen later this week. Within hours of Yates’ decree, Trump fired her and installed a new acting Attorney General who said he would enforce the travel ban.