Americans Afraid To Travel Under Trump

LEGAL US RESIDENTS ARE AFRAID TO TRAVEL OUTSIDE OF THE COUNTRY
BECAUSE THEY ARE AFRAID THAT DONALD TRUMP COULD SIGN
SOME SORT OF EXECUTIVE ACTION AT ANY POINT, BANNING THEM
FROM REENTERING THE COUNTRY.
THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE GREEN CARDS, OR SOME SORT OF
RESIDENCY, BUT THEY DO NOT HAVE FULL CITIZENSHIP.
AT EVEN THOUGH IN THE PAST, THEY HAVE TRAVELED ABROAD AND
COME BACK TO THE COUNTRY WITH NO PROBLEMS WHATSOEVER, THEY
ARE EXTREMELY CONCERNED ABOUT BEING POTENTIAL ñ
IT BEING POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS IF THEY LEAVE.
IT HAS HURT THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY QUITE A BIT, AND ONE
COMPANY SAYS THAT IT HAS LOST ABOUT 20%
OF ITS BUSINESS SINCE DONALD TRUMP CAME INTO OFFICE.
THE ñ A GENERAL MANAGER SAYS, "A LOT OF RESIDENTS ARE AFRAID
TO TRAVEL.
IT'S AFFECTING OUR BUSINESS.
PEOPLE ARE DECIDING NOT TO GO ON VACATION THIS YEAR, WAITING
TO SEE WHAT WILL HAPPEN.
THEY ARE AFRAID THEY WON'T BE ALLOWED TO COME BACK."
I BRING THIS UP BECAUSE, AS A U.S. CITIZEN, I'VE NOTICED THE
DIFFERENCE AT THE AIRPORT.
I RECENTLY TRAVELED TO MEXICO WITH MY FAMILY, AND THE WAY
WE WERE TREATED AT CUSTOMS WAS INSANE.
THE GUY WITH THE RUBBER GLOVE WAS SURPRISINGLY DENTAL.
WE HAVE SEEN ñ THIS IS A MAN, WE HAVE SEEN BEFORE, WHO HAS BEEN
OPENLY HOSTILE, WHO HAS BEEN OPENLY BIGOTED TOWARDS GROUPS,
INCLUDING LATINOS AND MUSLIMS, AND WHO MAKES RASH DECISIONS
OFTEN, THEY DON'T SEEM TO MAKE SENSE, LOGICALLY, TO MOST OF US.
I WOULD BE SCARED TOO.
I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED AT THE AIRPORT?
WAS IT HOSTILE?
IT WAS EXTERNALLY HOSTILE.
WE GET TO CUSTOMS ñ YOU KNOW HOW, WHEN YOU ARE FLYING BACK TO
THE COUNTRY, FLIGHT ATTENDANTS GIVE YOU THE PAPERWORK TO FILL
OUT, JUST SO YOU WILL BE READY TO GO RIGHT AT CUSTOMS AND
NOT WASTE ANY TIME.
AND YOU DON'T EVEN NEED TO FILL IT OUT.
WRITE, THERE ARE THOSE KIOSK MACHINES.
SO, WE GO THROUGH FULL PROCESS, EVERYTHING IS FINE, BUT THEN
CHRISTIAN LOPEZ, THE ONLY LATINO IN OUR GROUP, HE GOT PULLED
ASIDE FOR A SECONDARY SCREENING.
SO HE HAD TO WAIT INNOCENTLY LONG LINE, TO DO THIS SCREENING,
WHICH WAS A FINE, BUT THEN, AT THE SAME TIME MY DAD REALLY
NEEDED TO USE THE RESTROOM, SO I WAS LIKE, OKAY, I'M GOING
TO GO WITH MY DAD, AND THEN COME BACK AND TRY TO FIND MY HUSBAND.
AS I'M TRYING TO FIND A BATHROOM FOR MY DAD, I ASK AN AGENT,
WHERE'S THE RESTROOM?
AND HE YELLS AT US.
I WAS LIKE, WHERE'S THE BATHROOM?
HE'S LIKE, OVER THERE, AND HE DISAPPOINTED IN A WEIRD
DIRECTION, I HAD NO IDEA WHAT HE WAS TALKING ABOUT, SO I WAS
LIKE, WAIT, OVER THERE?
HE WAS LIKE, I SAID OVER THERE!
SO HE YELLS AT ME, UNLIKE THAT'S
FINE, I DIRECT MY DAD OVER THERE, AND I COME BACK TO BE
WITH CHRISTIAN, AND THEN, MY MOM WAS WAITING WITH HIM AS WELL,
AND I HEARD A TSA AGENT POINT TO MY MOM AND SAY, KEEP AN EYE ON
HER.
WHY?
MY MOM IS ABOUT TO TURN 60, LIKE, KEEP AN EYE ON HER?
OKAY.
AND AS I'M WALKING TOWARD MY MOM, A TSA AGENT IS LIKE,
WHERE YOU GOING?
YOU CAN'T GO TALK TO HER, YOU HAVE TO GO OVER THERE.
IT WAS JUST NONSENSE, AND SO, I DON'T WANT TO TRAVEL
OUTSIDE OF THE COUNTRY, BECAUSE I JUST DON'T WANT TO DEAL
WITH THAT RIGHT NOW.
THAT IS JUST NOT A FUN EXPERIENCE, YOU FEEL LIKE YOU
ARE BEING TREATED AS A CRIMINAL, EVEN THOUGH THERE'S NO
INDICATION THAT YOU ARE A DANGEROUS PERSON WHATSOEVER, AND
WE ARE ALL U.S. CITIZENS, IT'S CRAZY.
YOU ARE JUST GETTING EXTREME VETTED.
THAT'S WHAT IT FEELS LIKE.
AND FREQUENTLY, THE SIGNAGE DOESN'T MAKE SENSE, AND THE
PEOPLE WHO ARE HURTING YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU ARE ACTUALLY
SUPPOSED
TO GO.
I KNOW, IT'S CRAZY.

Americans Afraid To Travel Under Trump

Latest Posts