US Extends Ebola Travel Restrictions to Green Card Holders for First Time

The United States imposed a temporary entry ban on lawful permanent residents who recently traveled to parts of East and Central Africa affected by the Ebola outbreak, marking the first time in U.S. history that holders of “green cards” have been included in Ebola-related travel restrictions.

Under the new measures announced Friday, permanent residents who have been present in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda or South Sudan within the previous 21 days will be temporarily barred from entering the United States.

Previously, U.S. citizens, nationals and lawful permanent residents were exempt from the country’s 30-day Ebola-related travel restrictions. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the expansion of the ban had become necessary to prevent potential transmission of the virus inside the United States.

In a statement, the CDC said the temporary application of the policy to permanent residents “balances public health protection with emergency response resource management.”

The move follows growing international alarm over the spread of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. Earlier Friday, the World Health Organization raised the risk level of the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to “very high” at the national level and declared the situation there and in Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

The CDC originally issued the order earlier this week under Title 42 of the U.S. Public Health Service Act, which grants federal health authorities broad powers to restrict entry into the country to prevent the spread of communicable diseases.

Historically, green card holders have largely remained exempt from sweeping U.S. entry bans. They were not broadly subjected to Title 42 restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, nor were they included in several travel bans imposed during the administration of former President Donald Trump.

The latest decision signals a significant escalation in Washington’s public health response as officials seek to contain the risk of a wider international Ebola outbreak amid mounting concerns over cross-border transmission and strained healthcare systems in affected regions.