As you may know, former President Donald Trump signed a strict executive order prohibiting travel from 12 countries altogether. This change would place restrictions on seven other countries, sparking a long-time sensitive debate on immigration policy and national security. This decision is similar to his initial actions while in office. One is that it’s supposed to help fight against national terrorist threats and close the gap of people overstaying their visas.
A complete travel ban is currently in place for several countries. These are Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. At the same time, Burundians, Cubans, Laotians, Sierra Leoneans, Tongolese, Turkmen and Venezuelans will be subject to partial restrictions. Trump’s proclamation raises fears of new family separations. These bans hurt ordinary U.S. citizens who happen to have ties to those targeted nations.
When defending the travel ban, Trump even went as far as to claim that national security is the issue at heart. He stated that the list of banned countries is “subject to revisions based on whether material improvements are made,” indicating that new countries could be added as threats are identified. His administration delivered on a number of positive foreign policy and counterterrorism goals. This focus heavily informed the range of the new order’s scope.
The reintroduction of these travel restrictions is just the latest in a years-long wave of hardline Trump-style immigration policies. Shades of the disarray at airports in January 2017, this recent order. At the time, a precursor travel ban inspired nationwide protests and successful civil rights litigation. Opponents are quick to point out that these kinds of bans particularly hurt cities with large immigrant communities.
“Remember the famous travel ban? We didn’t take people from certain areas of the world. We’re not taking them from infested countries,” Trump remarked during a recent rally, reiterating his stance on immigration control.
Opponents on the travel ban have criticized the discriminatory intent underlying the travel ban as well as its impact on families and communities. Pramila Jayapal, a member of Congress, criticized the policy by stating, “This discriminatory policy, which limits legal immigration, not only flies in the face of what our country is supposed to stand for, it will be harmful to our economy and communities that rely on the contributions of people who come to America from this wide range of countries.”
Travel bans from Haiti, Cuba and Venezuela would have a devastating effect on U.S. communities. These areas are home to the biggest immigrant communities from those countries, further exacerbating the impact. The impact doesn’t just stop with single travelers either, families could be separated because of these bans.
On top of travel bans, Trump worked to limit foreign student visas. His actions are deliberately aimed at elite institutions such as Harvard University. He directed U.S. consulates to mandate social media screenings. This extends to all visa applicants wishing to attend the university. These measures are indicative of a much larger strategy to restrict immigration in nearly every form.
Trump’s previous travel bans schedule mandated legal fights that mounted all the way to the Supreme Court. Critics countered aggressively that these policies had been driven by anti-Muslim bigotry. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) stated, “The Muslim ban’s bigotry should have been as clear to the supreme court as it is to the Muslims demonized by it.”
Immediately after Trump left office, President Joe Biden started rolling back a lot of his predecessor’s immigration policies. Just hours after taking the presidential oath of office in 2021, Biden took bold action. He revoked Trump’s Muslim travel, a clear message that the U.S. was moving toward more inclusive immigration policies.
If there’s one issue Trump is going to be especially hardline on, it’s border security and travel restrictions. This position is sure to excite friends and enemies in the political establishment and among the American people. The reimplementation of these travel bans is an illustration of the current state of debates around national security and immigration policy in the U.S.