Since returning to the White House almost a year ago, U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed travel restrictions on a long list of countries. And on January 14, the U.S. State Department announced that it will suspend immigrant visa applications for citizens of 75 countries.

In an article published on January 19, the New York Times' Ben Sisario examines the problems that the Trump Administration's travel policies are having for musicians who want to perform in the United States.

For example, the African band Tinariwen — whose members are mostly from Mali — canceled a U.S. tour because of the difficulties.

Tinariwen's manager, Patrick Votan, told the Times, "It's completely hopeless now to tour in the U.S. There's not really any solution to come back again."

The Under the Radar theater festival in New York City, according to Sisario, canceled a scheduled performance by the British troupe Quarantine because of the visa difficulties, and the festival's co-producer, Tommy Kriegsmann, estimates that Under the Radar is losing at least $150,000 — or possibly, as much as $200,000 — because of it.

Kriegsmann told the Times, "It's an unbelievable mess, and no one can provide an answer."

"Problems like these were the talk of the Association of Performing Arts Professionals conference in New York last week," Sisario explains. "Each January, thousands of agents and presenters gather there to book their annual calendars and share intelligence about the climate, which has been shaky for years but is now, many said, in a state of crisis. Matthew Covey, a lawyer who specializes in immigration applications for performing artists, told attendees in a speech that he expects a 30 percent decline this year of international performers coming to the United States, compared to 2024."

Sisario adds, "In a subsequent interview, Covey called that figure a rough estimate based on information from his firm, CoveyLaw."

Read Ben Sisario's full New York Times article at this link (subscription required).

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