Travel Updates

Travel Updates

CBP Temporarily Closing Alburg Springs Port of Entry for Port Construction

Release Date: Wed, 09/21/2022 - 12:00

Alburgh, VT

For More Information: (202) 945-7368

ALBURG, VT – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced the temporary closure of the Alburg Springs, Vermont (VT) Port of Entry (POE) beginning on October 3, 2022, due to port construction. The temporary closure is necessary to ensure the safety of travelers and officers during the construction periods between October 3 and October 21, 2022. 

For the full Media Release, go to https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/local-media-release/cbp-temporarily-closin…;

Information Updates

This page was last reviewed in January, 2022.  Please check back for travel-related updates as they may occur.  

On June 26, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on and upheld the Presidential Proclamation that was issued on September 24, 2017. The country of Chad was removed from the list. The U.S. State Department provided a June 26 update on their site.

The June 26, 2018, Supreme Court decision supersedes the April 13, 2018, and October 17, 2017, updates listed below.

On April 13, 2018, a revision to the Presidential Proclamation regarding travel restrictions took effect and was posted on the U.S. Department of State website while it was in effect. (It is no longer posted.)

A Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) was filed on October 17, 2017, preventing full implementation of President Trump’s September 24, 2017, Proclamation, which revised the March 6, 2017, Executive Order restricting the travel of nationals of certain countries. The specific restrictions for North Korea and Venezuela remained in effect.

On September 24, 2017, President Trump issued a Presidential Proclamation titled “Enhancing Vetting Capabilities and Processes for Detecting Attempted Entry into the United States by Terrorists or other Public-Safety Threats.” This expanded the list to countries subject to travel restrictions (eight countries: Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen).

On June 26, 2017, the Supreme Court of the United States announced that it would hear oral arguments regarding the legal challenges to President Trump’s travel ban in October 2017. In doing so, the Court has allowed portions of the travel ban to take effect as of June 29, 2017, until a decision is announced. The Court declared that the ban affects “foreign nationals who lack any bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States.” 

However, the partial lifting of the ban is a temporary measure until the Court decides the case.  

• Middlebury’s international students and scholars who already have visas or who are already in the U.S. are not subject to the travel restrictions. While the case is pending, Middlebury students, scholars, and employees from any of the six named countries (Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen) who are currently in the U.S. are advised to avoid nonessential travel outside of the U.S.
• Students and employees in the process of applying for visas should not be affected by the travel restrictions since they have a specific relationship to Middlebury (see guidance from NAFSA: Association of International Educators).

Consult the Department of Homeland Security site for Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and the Department of State site for details about their implementation of the revised ruling. See NAFSA’s Executive Order Litigation Updates to stay current with regard to the case milestones. Below is some background information.

• On June 1, 2017, the U.S. Justice Department appealed both the Fourth and the Ninth Circuit rulings to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court had to first decide if it would hear the case; if so, it would consider the merits of the case, most likely in October 2017, at the start of the Court’s next term. 
• Spring 2017: Two U.S. District Courts (Maryland/Fourth District and Hawaii/Ninth District) filed Temporary Restraining Orders (TROs) against the travel-related Executive Orders issued in January and March. That process prevented their full implementation until the Supreme Court issued its initial decision in late June (which allowed for partial implementation).
• On March 6, 2017: President Donald J. Trump issued an executive order that modified the initial “travel ban” EO issued in January. Iraq was removed from the list of specified countries.
• On January 27, 2017, President Donald J. Trump issued an executive order that, among other things, restricted travel to the United States from seven Muslim-majority countries.

Middlebury President Laurie Patton issued two statements in response to the issuance of the initial executive order.
January 28 statement
February 1 statement

page last updated on 9/22/2022