The Trump administration is issuing a public fitness emergency that would allow the U.S. border government to prevent U.S. citizens and permanent citizens from returning to the country if they show symptoms of COVID-19 infection, according to New York Times and Reuters reports.
According to the draft memorandum circulating among federal agencies, the passing government may also simply block access to the United States if an official “reasonably believes that the individual would possibly have been exposed or inflamed with the contagious disease.” It is not known whether the proposal will be approved, pending feedback from the agencies.
The proposed rule would apply to all ports of access to the United States, adding airports and along the north and south borders. But this would have the greatest effect on the Mexican border, where many U.S. citizens and legal citizens travel for an essential trip.
It is not known whether the executive branch has the legal authority to prevent U.S. citizens from returning to their own country; however, the Trump administration has in the past limited access to Americans returning from countries with the highest rates of COVID-19 infection.
Early in the pandemic, the Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Chad F. Wolf, issued an access restriction for U.S. citizens returning home after recently visiting some European countries, China, Iran, and Brazil. Americans returning from regulated countries were sent to 15 airports for review.
“These passengers will be redirected to one of the 15 airports through their airline free of charge to them,” Wolf said at the time. “I sense that this new procedure will be harmful to some travelers, however, this action is mandatory for the general public due to additional exposure and the spread of coronavirus. Once back in the United States, it is imperative that Americans adhere to self-quarantine rules to help their loved ones and communities.
Critics of the president say the new proposal has less to do with coronavirus than immigration. Trump recently blamed rising infection rates in the United States on migrants crossing the border from Mexico, even though the coVID-19 infection rate in Mexico is well below the infection rate in the United States.
Legal experts have been quick in the legality of preventing U.S. citizens from returning to their own countries.
“Excluding U.S. citizens is unconstitutional,” said Omar Jadwat, director of the American Civil Liberties Union Immigrant Rights Project. “The Trump administration has put one border ban on one border after another, more recently for young people and asylum seekers, using COVID-19 as an excuse, while desperately failing the virus in the United States.
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I’m looking for new tactics to travel better, smarter, deeper and cheaper. That’s why I spend a lot of time observing trends at the intersection of travel and technology. As a
I’m looking for new tactics to travel better, smarter, deeper and cheaper. That’s why I spend a lot of time observing trends at the intersection of travel and technology. As a long-time freelance travel writer, I have written many articles for Conde Nast Traveller, CNN Travel, Travel Leisure, Afar, Reader’s Digest, TripSavvy, Parade, NBCNews.com, Good Housekeeping, Parents, Parenting, Esquire, Newsweek, The Boston Globe and many other media. Over the years, I have led an authorized circle of family members who make vacation plans on the site; interviewed Michelin-starred chefs, sent captains, taxi drivers and musher dogs; he looked up plenty of places to stay, from majestic windsuits and lighthouses to rustic cabins and kitsch motels; on the iconic Orient Express; bathed in the glory of Machu Picchu; and much more. Follow me on Instagram (@suzannekelleher), Pinterest (@suzannerowankelleher), and Flipboard (@SRKelleher).