I’m confused by what point you’re trying to make because it isn’t relevant to the article.
It is possible to address illegal immigration in a manner that doesn’t deter those visiting who will very likely return. Unfortunately whether it is the result of agency-wide policy changes or a few rogue officers, there’s certainly some new anxiety up for those wanting to travel here.
What exactly is deterring visitors, other than their dislike for the immigration enforcement policy of the new US administration? From what I've been seeing, legal immigration and tourism are being strongly encouraged.
The fact that legal immigrants have been detained, prevented from attending the birth of their children or from holding their newborn, because they engaged in 1st Amendment protected speech?
Or that when people's visas are unilaterally cancelled for no reason and then they show up at the border for entry, they may be held in solitary confinement for 9 days and given several mutually-exclusive (and all factually incorrect) rationale's for the cancellation while being prevented from contacting their family or lawyers?
> So basically, when we passed the Border Control they separated us and asked me to come with them to a room where they were going to ask me a couple of questions. After that they said my visa has been cancelled and I can’t get in the US this time. I got to another room where I had an interview and they took my fingerprints and photos of my face. And then they brought me “downstairs” until I [could] get my flight back to Germany. “Downstairs” was the cell where I was in solitary confinement for nine days. It took me some days to understand that it wasn’t that easy to get my ticket back, as there was no cooperation in helping me or letting me call someone who could get the ticket for me. You don’t have access to your phone or the internet in that cell.
I am very curious: have you just not heard of these instances? Or you have and you think they are not serious deterrents to legitimate travel to the US?
You've left out a lot of important facts. BTW, my wife is a legal immigrant, and I helped her mother become one too.
A legal immigrant is not yet a citizen, and they must petition the government for citizenship, a process that takes about five years from my personal experience. Up until the immigrant becomes a citizen, their petition can be revoked for any number of reasons, such as criminal activity. If the petition is revoked and they stay, they're still a "legal immigrant" by your definition I guess, because they originally immigrated legally.
Also, MANY countries have denied or cancelled visas over "free speech" from the applicant.
> If the petition is revoked and they stay, they're still a "legal immigrant" by your definition I guess, because they originally immigrated legally.
Uh no. If the petition is revoked then they are obviously here illegally, the question is whether the revocation itself is legal.
> their petition can be revoked for any number of reasons, such as criminal activity.
Correct, their petition can be revoked for any number of reasons, including criminal activity. One thing it can't be revoked for is engaging in protected speech under the First Amendment.
> Also, MANY countries have denied or cancelled visas over "free speech" from the applicant.
Why are you putting "free speech" in scare quotes? Ah! It's to make your absolutely irrelevant point. I'm not talking about what "countries" can do or have done. I'm talking about the United States of America and its Constitutional First Amendment protection. The United States government is forbidden from doing this. I don't give a fuck what other less free commie loser countries do, I care what my country does.
Mahmoud Khalil has a green card (meaning he is a permanent resident) and has been in ICE detention since March 8th. How can you pretend this is about violating immigration law?
The simplest explanation is that they perceive “violating immigration law” and “saying something publicly that the current administration disapproves of” as being the same thing and are completely comfortable with that.
