The Trump team continues to find new ways of turning the world against the United States
There is a new development in the Trump administration press to prevent foreigners from coming to the United States: why not invoice foreign tourists a sum of exorbitant money to visit here? The State Department announcement This big plan on Tuesday, appearing a “pilot” program which will be in effect for a year.
In appearance, this is intended for countries where high visa rates are high. The idea is that visitors will pay a deposit of at least $ 5,000 and up to $ 15,000. Consular agents can define the surety according to “any information provided by the visa applicant on the visa request or in visa interview concerning the travel objective, current employment, income, skills and education.”
This new extortion racket is not based on any law. The official publication of the rule in The Federal Register only justifies it by referring to the reference of President Donald Trump as if they were law. Thus, when Trump came out with his racist “protecting the American people against the invasion” executive decree The first day of his second term, the entire federal government tilted to restrict immigration. Now, apparently, these efforts have turned to the restriction of visitors.
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The first two countries that the administration has decided arbitrarily will be included in the pilot program are Malawi and Zambia. According to the administration, it is based on Their rate of exceeding the 2023 DHS report. Except that, as NBC pointed out, these two countries are not the best overtaking This report– It would be Laos. Haiti and Chad. However, the people of these countries are already prohibited from coming here thanks to Ban of travel 2.0So apparently the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, had to descend the list to find other countries to target.
Of course, like everything related to immigration to the Trump administration, the countries will be included in this payment arrangement can change at any time. Another fun fact: if someone here on a tourist visa decide to apply For asylum or any other status of non-immigrant, it is a violation of the conditions of obligation and the government can keep the money of the obligation.
All of this corresponds to the other Trump isolationist nativist actions. He is tried Harvard of the registration of international students. The courts have blocked these effortsBut do not be afraid: the “regulation” of the administration with Columbia University Requires school To reduce registration for international students.
This pressure to hunt international students is catastrophically bad for higher education and the economy. Over 1.1 million international students contributed $ 44 billion to the economy during the school year 2023-2024. It is at the height of success that the economy is of chance and capricious of Trump trade war and TariffPaloza. There is already a significant drop in international tourism, and we are on the right track to lose $ 29 billion of that.
Rubio continues to be one of Trump’s most faithful seseries, helping her to isolate the United States and withdraw from the world community. The Secretary of State has intensified to keep America safe refuse to issue Visas to a Venezuelan team Little League and to the Cuban women’s national volleyball team. But at least we leave white South Africans, the only one “refugeesThanks Trump.
As for the latest xenophobic ploy in the administration, which countries are subject to the binding requirement can change at any time – and everyone knows very well that the countries will be added and deleted from this list according to their quantity or do not squat in Trump. Meanwhile, foreign visitors from all the bands will continue to pass us, because who wants to face all this?
