TRUMP'S RATIONALE FOR BANNING PEOPLE FROM SOME COUNTRIES

On June 4, US President Donal Trump issued a proclamation addressing issues of national security arising from the entry of foreigners into the US. The proclamation banned entry to the US of citizens of 12 countries.

- By P.K.Balachandran

The magnitude of Illegal immigration, fear of terrorism and other security concerns, visa violations, refusal to accept deportees, and the administrative incapacity of the countries listed, lie at the root of the ban.

The United States has an enormous problem of illegal immigrants and Visa over-stayers. As per 2021 figures, there were over 11 million unauthorised immigrants in the US. Among these, Mexicans dominated, accounting for 2.5 million; These were followed by El Savadorians (751,000); Hondurans (564,000); Indians (400,000); Filipinos (309,000); Venezuelans (251,000); Chinese (241,000); Colombians (201,000); and Brazilians (195,000).

The US reported nearly 11 million “unauthorised border encounters” between October 2019 and June 2024. “Unauthorised border encounters” is a term denoting two categories; (1) those apprehended and temporarily detained by the US Border Patrol (2) those seeking legal admission at official ports of entry but who are found ineligible by officers of the Office of Field Operations (OFO).

Visa over-stayers are the other problem. In the fiscal year of 2023, visa over-stayers totalled 510,400. African nations led in this category, with some over-staying rates touching 30 to 50%. High shares of over-stayers also came from Haiti, Myanmar and Laos as well as Yemen, Bhutan and Turkmenistan. The over-stayer rate for Indians was 1.4%.

Trump's Proclamation

Trump’s proclamation of June 4, states the problem and its solution clearly. To quote him fully, he said -“During my first Administration, I restricted the entry of foreign nationals into the United States, which successfully prevented national security threats from reaching our borders and which the Supreme Court upheld.”