Trump Order Leads to Visa Ban for Trans Athletes in Women’s Sports

The Trump Administration updated its visa guidelines Monday to bar transgender women athletes from competing in women’s sports.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services updated its policy manual to reflect President Donald Trump’s executive order from February, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.” Several visa categories for “exceptional ability” are impacted, which include both athletic performance and other specialties like science, art, education, and business. It also affects national interest waivers, a process by which people can self-petition for a green card by saying their work benefits the national interest. The policy went into effect immediately and applies to any pending applications.

The new policy does not include the word “transgender,” but rather USCIS refers to “male aliens seeking immigration benefits” to compete in women’s sports.

“Men do not belong in women’s sports. USCIS is closing the loophole for foreign male athletes whose only chance at winning elite sports is to change their gender identity and leverage their biological advantages against women,” USCIS spokesperson Matthew Tragesser said in a statement. “It’s a matter of safety, fairness, respect, and truth that only female athletes receive a visa to come to the U.S. to participate in women’s sports. The Trump Administration is standing up for the silent majority who’ve long been victims of leftist policies that defy common sense.”

The Trump Administration has pushed hard to bar transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports. The Department of Justice has sued Maine and California for their trans athlete policies.

In July, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee updated its policy to exclude any transgender women from competing in women’s sports, citing the executive order, and said that national governing bodies needed to follow its guidance. The NCAA made a similar rule change shortly after the executive order in February.

Los Angeles is hosting the Olympics in 2028, and combined with the recent USOPC guidance, the new USCIS policy further indicates transgender athletes won’t be allowed to compete in any women’s sports competitions at the Games. The other major international women’s sports tournament on the horizon for the U.S. is the 2031 Women’s World Cup, which it will host along with Mexico.

The administration has also used visas as a way to control sporting events. Its list of banned countries has exceptions for players in the FIFA men’s World Cup, for example, but not for fans. As it currently stands, fans from popular tournament teams like Haiti won’t be able to attend any matches held in the U.S. A Venezuelan Little League World Series team was also denied their visas to compete, but on Tuesday The Athletic reported they had received a “national exemption.”