Posts tagged “ESTA”

If there is any better indicator of Trump’s Fortress America policies – deterring and discouraging legal visitors, students, workers, entrepreneurs, and immigrants – one need only look at the most recent visa developments:

1. There will be no more visa interview waiver for those applicants for visas under the age of 14 and over 79. So young kids, including babies, will have to accompany their parents to interviews. For those over 79, there is an exception: if they are applying within 12 months of the prior visa’s expiration. Otherwise, 80, 90 and older visa applicants will need to travel to the embassies and consulates to convince a consul that they really do not plan to overstay their visas.

Suspicions of going to work illegally? Check. Suspicions of marrying a US citizen? Check. Suspicions of remaining in the US? Check. These are all common reasons for the inspector of Customs and Border Protection at an airport or a land border port-of-entry to invoke Section 212(a)(7)(A)(i)(I), denying their entry, and sending the person home. But criticizing the President of the United States? This is as American as apple pie; this is the Land of Free Speech, after all, right? Right? Apparently not in the eyes of CBP inspectors who have just stopped the entry of a French scientist because CBP found text messages on his phone that apparently criticized the Trump administration’s policies on academic research. This not only bodes poorly for visa and ESTA holders over the next four years, but for visa applicants.