It came as no surprise to see the raft of xenophobic executive orders issued soon after the former-now current president returned to the White House. It continued with updated agency guidance on medical exams for persons seeking lawful permanent resident status. Here’s a sampling of what damage has been done so far:
1. According to one order, there is an “invasion” on the southern border. No more “aliens” are allowed in, and no asylum requests are permitted at the border. Note: International law specifically recognizes the right of persecuted persons to seek asylum in other countries.
2. There will be “enhanced vetting and screening across agencies,” which includes immigration, out of a fear that all persons coming to the U.S. could be terrorists. Note: This likely will mean delays for visa processing at U.S. consulates abroad and longer processing times at USCIS in the United States.
3. Failed attempt to end birthright citizenship by executive order. Note: A federal court already stopped the order from going into effect, citing a U.S. Supreme Case from 1898 as controlling authority. Apparently the administration’s lawyers missed that case when they prepared the half-baked executive order.
4. General pause on refugee admissions as of January 27, 2025. Individual, case-by-case review will be permitted. Note: This effectively ends refugee admissions.
5. Applicants for lawful permanent residency, i.e. green cards, no longer need to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Note: This defies logic. In one executive order, the administration is afraid of disease-bearing invaders, yet in another, it is welcoming people who don’t need to be vaccinated.
I recently came across a saying that sums up what is happening in Washington: When a clown enters a palace, he does not become a king. Rather, the palace becomes a circus.