Consequences of Trump’s 2025 Immigration Policy on African Families: A Systematic Review

Abstract

In 2025, the reinstated and expanded immigration policies under President Donald J. Trump reshaped global mobility and family life. The new restrictions—popularly called the “2025 Travel Ban”—targeted nineteen countries and tightened vetting for additional nationalities, many of them in Africa. These actions intersected with changes to refugee processing and funding, as well as evolving consular guidance, prompting concerns about family separation, humanitarian protection, and community well-being. This systematic review synthesises evidence published between January 20 and November 2025 on the consequences of these policies for African families in the United States and across transnational settings. Following PRISMA guidance, we searched Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, PsycINFO, HeinOnline, ProQuest, and Google Scholar and consulted institutional repositories (U.S. Department of State visa statistics, USCIS, UNHCR, Refugee Council USA, American Immigration Council) and major newswires (Reuters, AP) reporting primary policy documents and data. Sixty-four items met the inclusion criteria. The evidence converges on five consequence domains: (1) delays and denials in family reunification; (2) psychological distress and identity anxiety within affected households; (3) economic disruptions, including reduced mobility and income uncertainty; (4) contraction and delay in refugee pathways, with knock-on effects for kinship networks; and (5) broader transnational disillusionment and deterrence effects. While the precise magnitude of the effects varies by country and visa class, triangulated data and consistent qualitative accounts indicate substantial, policy-linked harms for African families. Implications include the need for transparent waiver processes, equitable vetting standards, targeted psychosocial support, and policy safeguards that prioritise family unity.