New York (EFE).- The administration of United States President Donald Trump has further tightened restrictions on obtaining visas and entering the US in recent days, with new travel bans, suspension of immigrant visas, increased financial requirements, and mass revocations of permits, amid a record number of deportations.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement reached the highest monthly detention figure so far in Trump’s second term in July, with 49,571 arrests, according to data from the University of California, Berkeley and UCLA.
Furthermore, Trump’s immigration actions have sparked hundreds of unprecedented lawsuits from various organizations across the country, led by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which his administration has contested, some successfully.
Trump’s opposition to irregular immigration has been present throughout his career, marked by xenophobic rhetoric that has caused significant controversy, such as his 2015 speech announcing his presidential bid, in which he claimed Mexico was sending crime, drugs, and rapists to the US.
Upon arriving at the White House in 2017, he immediately signed executive orders banning entry for 90 days for citizens of several Muslim-majority countries and indefinitely suspended the Syrian refugee admission program.
He also authorized the construction of a border wall, as promised, to stem immigration from the south, a theme that remained prominent throughout his first term.
In this second four-year term, he has intensified these actions, with a policy led by «the largest deportation operation in US history» and controversial decisions such as the temporary suspension of immigrant visa appointments worldwide, citing the need to train consular staff on new procedures.
Legal clash
Wednesday’s announcement by the State Department regarding the temporary suspension of immigrant visa appointments worldwide followed a New York federal judge’s Aug. 21 ruling that overturned the suspension of visa processing for citizens of 75 countries, deeming it contrary to law and exceeding the legal authority of Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Shortly after Wednesday’s announcement, immigrant families and legal defense groups filed a motion in the same New York federal court to compel Rubio to comply with the judge’s ruling.
According to the motion, the government has taken numerous steps that appear to perpetuate the suspension of immigrant visa processing rather than abiding by the order, and the plaintiffs told the court the action raises serious concerns that the government is not complying with the order and is taking steps to circumvent it under the guise of a false explanation.
Beyond visas
Arguing to reduce unregulated immigration, Trump has made other decisions limiting overall immigration, such as imposing bonds between 10,000 and 20,000 dollars for people from 50 countries, mostly African nations, but also including Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua, for tourism and business visas.
With this action, he resumes the controversial «public charge» policy from his first administration, which seeks to deny permanent residency (the ‘green card’) to immigrants who might depend on government assistance.
This week, he also announced a 100,000 dollar bond for H-1B visas, typically granted to workers in the technology and engineering sectors.
His immigration policy has also affected individuals protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, who came to the US as children, and thousands under Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which has allowed them to live and work in the US without being deported.
The Trump administration is also considering canceling business and tourism visas for foreigners who have applied for asylum after entering the US.
Regarding this issue, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Landau indicated on Thursday via X that, after reviewing diplomatic and official visas granted between 2019 and 2023, the State Department discovered 420 individuals from one country who had entered with those visas and subsequently applied for asylum.
«People who were allowed to enter our country on behalf of a foreign government claimed that they must be allowed to stay because they faced persecution BY THAT VERY GOVERNMENT,» Landau stated.
On another front, the Trump administration filed a lawsuit on Thursday challenging several state laws in Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington that allow universities to offer discounted tuition and financial aid to students without legal immigration status. EFE
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