List of people banned from entering the United States

The following is a list of notable people who are or were barred from entering the United States. The Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) handles deportation in the United States, often in conjunction with advice from the U.S. Department of State. Such bans are often temporary, depending on the circumstances of each case; however, anyone previously deported or denaturalized is automatically barred from re-entering the United States without a waiver issued by the U.S. Department of State.

Currently banned

IndividualNationalityOccupationReason(s) for banSoccer refereeSuspected links to Al-Shabaab.Diplomat and envoy to the United NationsPlayed a role as a translator for the militants who stormed the American Embassy in Tehran in 1979 and held 52 American citizens hostage for 444 days.Iranian diplomat Hamid Aboutalebi denied visa, nytimes.com, 12 April 2014; accessed 14 April 2014.Consultant and former royal court advisorReportedly oversaw the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, among other interrogations and torture.Politician and former Vice President of Venezuela (2017-2018)Allegations of major drug trafficking and ties to Hezbollah.81st President of Nicaragua (1997-2002)Political corruption scandals. Telecommunications engineerSuspected of being a member of Al Qaeda.68th Prime Minister of Syria (2020-2024)Continuous support for the Assad regime.Co-founder of WikiLeaksPleaded guilty for violating the Espionage Act.Former ecstasy distributor turned YouTuberAfter serving two years in Maricopa County Jail prior to sentencing, Attwood pleaded guilty for a sentence of nine and a half years, and served the balance of his sentence in the Arizona Department of Corrections. Banned from entering the United States for life following his return to the United Kingdom.President of the Senate of PalauAccused of involvement in corruption.2nd President of Albania (1992-1997) and 32nd Prime Minister of Albania (2005-2013)Involved in significant corruption, such as misappropriation of public funds and interfering with public processes, as well as enriching political allies and family members at the expense of the Albanian public. Farmer and alter-globalization activistPast prosecutions for "moral crimes".38th President of Ecuador (1996-1997)"Involvement in significant corruption, including misappropriation of public funds, accepting bribes, and interfering with public processes."Former Governor of NayaritAllegations of collaborating with drug dealers.Former First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (2011-2021); brother of Fidel CastroHuman rights violations and support for Nicolas Maduro's regime.Chen Quanguo Communist Party secretary of Xinjiang (2016-2021)Involvement in the persecution of Uyghurs in China.45th President of Ecuador (2007-2017)Corruption; "...accepting bribes, including through political contributions, in exchange for granting favorable government contracts."SingerDrug-related arrests and convictions in the United Kingdom; denied entry in June 2010 after spending 10 hours in detention in New York's JFK Airport, despite having a visa.Businesswoman and daughter of José Eduardo dos Santos"Significant corruption by misappropriating public funds for her personal benefit."Former member of Albanian Parliament (2005-2021)Allegations of significant corruption.Politician and former President of the Chamber of Deputies (2016-2019)Involvement in significant corruption.51st President of Guatemala (2020-2024)Allegations of “involvement in significant corruption” during his presidency, namely "accepting bribes in exchange for the performance of his public functions".Businessman & CEO of Meliá Hotels InternationalHaving business interests in Cuba.Wife of former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, media consultantVisiting Somaliland as an independent country, which the United States does not recognize (viewing it as part of Somalia). Applicants under the electronic system for travel authorisation (ESTA) visa waiver programme, which allows Britons to spend up to 90 days in the US, are asked whether they have visited Somalia since March 2011.Rapid Support Forces commanderOrdering the assassination of Khamis Abakar, governor of West Darfur state during the War in Sudan (2023).Head of the Chechen Republic (2007–present)Violations of human rights, including torture and extrajudicial killings.56th President of Argentina (2007-2015)"Significant corruption" charges.Boxing promoter and crime bossSuspected of involvement in organized crime.Former Governor of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast and businessmanCorruption and being a "threat to the Ukrainian public's faith in democratic institutions".Former Australian rules footballerPrior convictions relating to assault.Singer-songwriterAlleged connections to the Brothers' Circle."Russian signer Grigory Leps says he has no bank accounts or property in the US", TASS; accessed 13 March 2023.General Prosecutor of the Republic of Albania (2012-2017)Involvement in significant corruption.Public designation of Adriatik Llalla "US Bans Albanian Former General Prosecutor" by Gjergj Erebara, Balkininsight.com; accessed 22 September 2023.Regional Commissioner of Arusha"...involvement in gross violations of human rights, which include the flagrant denial of the right to life, liberty, or the security of persons." BusinessmanAccused of selling components for mustard gas and nerve gas to Iran in defiance of a US embargo. Activist, politicianAccused the United States federal government of human rights violations, was due to testify at a tribunal in Washington, D.C. Independent Republican activist, UK Member of Parliament Involvement with the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA).James, Steve (5 March 2003) "Ireland's Bernadette Devlin McAliskey deported from the US", World Socialist WebsiteJournalist, conspiracy theorist, and political activistActive promotion of misinformation about the United States.Min Aung HlaingHead of Burmese military junta (2021–present)Involvement in the Rohingya genocide.Journalist and spokesman for HezbollahLinks with Hezbollah.London pressed to deny visa to Hizbullah spokesman By Andrew Wander, Daily Star, February 28, 2009Military officerGross violations of human rights during the Bucha massacre.President of Nicaragua (2007–present)Repression of political opponents during the 2018–2022 Nicaraguan protests, reports of human rights abuses, and committing electoral fraud.PhotojournalistName matches a "person of interest" on an unspecified U.S. federal law enforcement watch list.Bilal PhilipsIslamic scholarAlleged links to terrorism and seeming to condone suicide bombers.Businessman and former member of ParliamentInvolvement in significant corruption.Marian Price Former Provisional Irish Republican Army volunteerTerrorist activities, including involvement in the 1973 Old Bailey bombing. Politician and lawyer Links with international terrorist organizations and subversive groups.Saab denied visa to the USA, eluniversal.com; accessed 8 July 2015.Neo-Nazi, Neue Rechte and Identitarian activistLinks to the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand.Sri Lanka Army officerAlleged war crimes in the Sri Lankan civil war.Second governor of Nairobi County (2017-2020)Involvement in significant corruption.Environmental campaignerUndisclosed reasons believed to be linked with his campaigning.Businessman and son of former Prime Minister Margaret ThatcherConviction in South Africa related to the 2004 Equatorial Guinea coup attempt.ComedianVisa issues.Rap duoLed a chant of "Death, death to the IDF".U.S. revokes visas for British band that chanted, ‘Death, death to the IDF’4th Attorney General of Kenya (1991-2011)Allegations of "significant" corruption.Wiranto5th Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Council (since 2019)Human rights violations and suspected war crimes.Far-right activistRobinson pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court to using someone else's passport to travel to the United States in September 2012, and was sentenced in January 2013 to 10 months' imprisonment.Zhu HailunRetired politicianInvolvement in the persecution of Uyghurs in China.

Previously banned