Trump's 'Travel Ban' Still Working, Just Not on Weapons
Funny how some policies linger, isn't it? The 'travel ban'—a policy most remember for targeting specific Muslim-majority countries (Executive Order 13780, March 6, 2017)—is now flexing its muscles to keep African football fans from a global stage. Meanwhile, the U.S. continues to facilitate the transfer of advanced weaponry across borders with startling ease, often ignoring human rights concerns.
One might wonder about the prioritization here: cultural exchange? Or military-industrial complex profits? This administration, claiming a return to 'normalcy,' keeps specific Trump-era edicts well-oiled when it suits its narrative of control and selective international engagement. It seems borders are only truly impermeable when a nation's people inconveniently want to spectate, not when military
hardware needs to be shipped. The U.S. exported $238 billion in weapons between 2018-2022 (SIPRI data), yet Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire fans can't get a visa. Perspective, anyone?