Trump Finds 75 New Countries to Blame for His Immigration Policies
Al Jazeera dutifully reported on Donald Trump's executive order suspending immigrant visas for 75 countries, focusing on the immediate impact. What they gloss over, or perhaps intentionally omit, is that this is simply a retread of the 2017 'travel ban' playbook. Remember that? The one targeting Muslim-majority countries that magically excluded countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE (nations with
significant business ties to Trump's empire). It's not about security; it's about optics and xenophobia, recycled for a fresh news cycle. The list of 'affected countries' will undoubtedly be a familiar roster of nations primarily from Africa, Asia, and Latin America—places not known for their Trump Tower franchises. One might wonder if any of these 75 countries don't happen to have significant
non-white populations. The consistency of this particular 'national security' concern is truly remarkable. It appears the former President, much like a broken record, finds the same notes reassuringly effective. But then, discerning the strategy isn't hard when the strategy is simply: blame immigrants, preferably those who don't look 'American enough' by some arbitrary, unstated metric. Old
policies, new headline.