As coronavirus epidemic spreads, Trump administration’s new travel ban hits China and beyond, prompting worries by CEDickson
While the Trump administration was making news Friday by adding six new countries to the travel ban meant to keep out suspected or potential terrorists, the White House was using the same legal authority to issue sweeping travel restrictions prompted by the threat of the coronavirus epidemic that began last month in China.
The United States is the top destination for Chinese immigrants. As of 2018, the U.S. was home to nearly 2.5 million Chinese immigrants, comprising the country’s third-largest foreign-born population after Mexican and Indian immigrants. Of course, the new travel restrictions don’t apply only to Chinese nationals, but to foreign nationals of any country who may have been physically present in mainland China within 14 days before seeking entry to the United States. The presidential proclamation states that “During Fiscal Year 2019, an average of more than 14,000 people traveled to the United States from China each day, via both direct and indirect flights.
A State Department spokesperson confirmed that “Due to the Chinese government’s restrictions on large gatherings of people, the United States Embassy and Consulates in China are cancelling routine immigrant and nonimmigrant visa appointments the week of February 3. A limited number of emergency appointments will be available.”
While the guidance issued by DHS and the State Department in response to Trump’s proclamation focuses on intercepting possible carriers of the coronavirus before they board a flight to the U.S., a spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection told Yahoo News that CBP officials at all U.S. ports of entry, including airports and border crossings, are following the same guidance.
Without questioning the public-health risk posed by the rapidly-spreading coronavirus epidemic, Dalal-Dheini said it’s “definitely concerning how easily and readily” the Trump administration is using the broad authority it was given by the Supreme Court when it upheld the travel ban, especially in light of its recent expansion to six more countries, including Nigeria, the largest nation in Africa.
According to an October 2018 report by the Financial Times, President Trump had been considering a proposal to ban student visas for Chinese nationals earlier that year, but had been convinced not to follow through over concerns about economic and diplomatic fallout.
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