{"id":16704,"date":"2018-03-22T10:53:23","date_gmt":"2018-03-22T14:53:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/live-immigrationreform.pantheonsite.io\/?p=16704"},"modified":"2018-12-28T10:43:27","modified_gmt":"2018-12-28T15:43:27","slug":"vices-latest-manufactured-travel-ban-hysteria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.immigrationreform.com\/2018\/03\/22\/vices-latest-manufactured-travel-ban-hysteria\/","title":{"rendered":"Vice\u2019s Latest Manufactured \u201cTravel Ban\u201d Hysteria"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vice, <\/em>the online media giant, isn\u2019t known for doing objective, balanced journalism. It\u2019s more of a pop-culture pastiche \u2013 running stories about underwear<\/a> with a built-in video game controller and guys who struggle with \u201ctoxic masculinity<\/a>\u201d (which sounds like the name of a gym shoe deodorant).<\/p>\n

However, it\u2019s new piece \u201cThe Nightmare of Trying to Get Around Trump\u2019s Latest Travel Ban<\/a>\u201d sets new standards for hyperbolic lunacy. The article purports to tell the story of Omid, a PhD candidate at the University of Illinois who was negatively affected by \u201cthe ban.\u201d In reality, it\u2019s just a blatant attempt at fueling hysteria over what appears to be a settled question of law.<\/p>\n

8 U.S.C. \u00a7 1182(f)<\/a> specifically authorizes the president to temporarily suspend the entry of any alien, or class of aliens, whose admission he deems detrimental to the interests of the United States. Based on that authorization, the Supreme Court has repeatedly overruled<\/a> lower court orders blocking the implementation of the temporary moratoria<\/a> on visa issuance to certain individuals from several Muslim-majority countries. In addition, the high court has stated that it will rule on the constitutionality of the so-called \u201ctravel ban\u201d following hearings in April 2018.<\/p>\n

Allegedly, Omid \u2013 who is never identified by anything other than his alleged Iranian citizenship and status as a student \u2013 had a brother who was killed in an accident at work. Believing they would qualify for a hardship waiver, Omid\u2019s parents applied for a visa to attend their younger son\u2019s funeral. Their request was denied.<\/p>\n

According to Vice<\/em>, and the open-borders ideologues they quote, the fact that the Department of State denies waiver requests at a high rate is evidence that the Trump administration is implementing a \u201cde facto Muslim ban in violation of our Constitution and our immigration laws.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, that\u2019s a shockingly misleading assertion from an organization with journalistic pretensions. As noted above Congress specifically authorized the President to implement temporary moratoria on the admission of foreign nationals. So, there isn\u2019t any violation of our immigration laws. And the Supreme Court has neither overturned 8 U.S.C. \u00a7 1182(f), nor allowed the president\u2019s actions pursuant to it to be enjoined by lower courts. So that section of the law remains presumptively constitutional.<\/p>\n

And what Vice<\/em> declines to mention may be more important than what it actually does cover: Before any of the Trump executive orders relating to travel were ever implemented, nearly half of all visa requests made by Iranians were refused<\/a> by the Department of State. That\u2019s because the U.S. government has repeatedly designated Iran<\/a> as the top state sponsor of terrorism<\/a> in the world.<\/p>\n

Most Americans would agree that Omid\u2019s situation is certainly sad. Many Americans have lost relatives who chose to live abroad and, because of geopolitical events, were unable to grieve with their kin. However, the real nightmare is trying to vet Iranian visa applicants<\/a>. The Iranian government is not interested in helping the United States protect its national security<\/a> and, in 2013, the Pentagon estimated that Iran was running a spy network in the United States that involved at least 30,000 people.<\/p>\n

In the future, Vice<\/em> might want to make sure that its chronic dislike of Donald Trump<\/a> doesn\u2019t get in the way of the facts. Although serious coverage of geopolitical events may be a bridge too far for a publication that considers gamer\u2019s undies and toxic snowflakes front page news.