Trump is driving the American brand into the ground. The world is seeing how we’re treating foreign visitors
Since Trump became President again, U.S. media has been covering his brutal anti-immigrant actions, but often taking its usual “both-sides” approach to reporting that softens his cruelty. Over the past few weeks, the crisis has escalated – and snared tourists traveling to the U.S. in its ever-widening net of abducting and detaining, or denying entry to people from around the world who are typically not targets for U.S. immigration officials. From Canada, to Great Britain, to Germany, families of those detained or denied entry, and non-US media outlets from around the world are rightfully highlighting that any non-American traveling to the U.S. is at risk.
First, let’s start with some U.S. coverage of the warnings our allies are giving to their citizens:
Reuters: Britain beefs up travel warnings over US border enforcement
Reuters: Germany updates US travel advice after citizens detained
Newsweek: Denmark Issues Travel Warning For US
Associated Press: Detentions Of European Tourists At U.S. Borders Spark Fears Of Traveling To America
Below are just a few examples of the way foreign and foreign-language media is covering the often-barbaric detention of their citizens by Trump and his administration:
DW: Why are Germans being detained by US immigration?
The Guardian: I’m the Canadian who was detained by Ice for two weeks. It felt like I had been kidnapped
Vancouver Sun: B.C. woman detained at U.S. border finally back home in Abbotsford
BBC: Dad hopeful US detained tourist to be released
Independent: American Pie actor breaks silence after being detained by ICE for 12 days
RTL Deutschland: Deutscher sitzt wochenlang in US-Abschiebehaft (German man spends weeks in US deportation detention)
Spiegel: Nächster Deutscher landet in US-Abschiebehaft (Next German ends up in US deportation detention)
Rheinische Post: Transgender people must be careful when traveling to the USA
Independent: German national arrested at Boston airport and his family has no clue why he is being held by ICE
Luxembourg Times: US resident ‘violently interrogated’ on way home from Luxembourg
BBC: Welsh tourist in US chained ‘like Hannibal Lecter’
SeattleN: 미국내 한국 유학생도 체포…불법 취업했다 덜미 (South Korean student studying in the US also arrested… caught working illegally)
Pressian: ‘200년된 법’ 끄집어낸 트럼프, 법원 명령 무시하고 베네수엘라 이민자 추방 (Trump invokes ‘200-year-old law’ to deport Venezuelan immigrants, ignoring court order)
SBS News: 미국, 가자 전쟁 시위 학생들에 잇단 강경 조치…체포에 비자 취소 출처 : SBS 뉴스 원본 링크 (US Takes Strong Action Against Students Protesting Gaza War… Visa Cancellations for Arrests)
The Chronicle Herald: ‘Canada or America?’ Touring N.S. folk duo questioned by state troopers
Le Monde: Etats-Unis : un chercheur français refoulé pour avoir exprimé « une opinion personnelle sur la politique menée par l’administration Trump » (United States: French researcher expelled for expressing ‘a personal opinion on the policies pursued by the Trump administration’)
Le Monde: French researcher denied entry to US for ‘expressing personal opinion’ on Trump policies
The final link is particularly chilling. Le Monde reports that the researcher was forced onto a return flight back to Europe after authorities read text messages where he expressed personal opinions critical of the Trump administration’s stances on research. “An FBI investigation was opened, for which ‘the charges have been dropped,’ continued this source.” So, it appears there was nothing there. Just his personal opinions. Much like the brutal persecution of green card-holder Mahmoud Khalil, the administration is targeting individuals for views it doesn’t like. Our allies are noticing – and some are urging their citizens to perhaps stay away. Not only is our standing in the world hurting, it’ll hurt us here at home too.
