For some, it is as routine as paying at the payment counter. For others, it is as nervous as a root canal. What experience you have depends largely on one thing: where you were born.
We are talking about international trips.
Since President Trump assumed the position, the Western travelers who tried to enter the United States have been testing what may be a traveler of the Global South. German tourist Lucas Sielaff He was handcuffed and chained at the border in Tijuana, arrested for 16 days and then deported at his own cost, apparently because he was missing when asked in English, not in his first language. A second German tourist and a Canadian visa in a work visa were arrested on the same border and detained for more than six weeks and 12 days, respectively, without explanation. Fabian SchmidtA third holder of the German and Green card was arrested at Boston Logan International Airport and, according to the reports, underwent hard interrogation tactical and got into a cold, naked shower. Was sent to a detention center at Rhode Island, where He is leftNo clear charges. Another incident involves a French scientist According to the reports, the entrance denied because Trump's critical messages were found on his phone.
The United States has a visa exemption program: the citizens of 43 nations, including the allies of a lifetime Great Britain, Germany, Canada and France, can enter the United States and remain for up to 90 days without visa. But after the recent border incidents, Great Britain and Germany updated His travel notices in the United States with warnings that the welcome carpet is being withdrawn. For travelers alone to walk beyond immigration counters without problems, this is a new paradigm.
But for travelers with “weak passports”, fighting to cross the borders has long been a fact of life.
If you are, say, Bangladesh or Tanzania and want to visit another country, including the United States, you will be figuratively, if not literally, naked like Schmidt. It is likely that he is roasted in his work, finance, family, previous trips and even his publications on social networks. You must plan much later, as you can take months, even years to get a visa interview.
According to the latest data, waiting times for an interview for a visitor visa to the United States in, for example, Bogotá, Colombia; Dhaka, Bangladesh; Lagos, Nigeria; And Mexico City are 507, 228, 377 and 350 days, respectively. If you get an appointment, you will be at the mercy of a consular officer who decides whether or not to approve your visa application. If your visa was rejected, you will be given a notice of boilerplate that indicates that the decision is definitive and cannot be appealed. What you will not receive, of course, is a refund for the considerable application rate you have already paid.
According to reports, things get worse for some potential travelers to the United States, the Trump administration is planning a new edition of the infamous Muslim prohibitionwhich resulted in chaos in airports, protests and demands during Trump's first mandate. He New travel ban It could point to 43 countries, more than half of them in Africa. Many Americans will agree with that, since the right of sovereign nations is rarely questioned to establish their immigration policies, as they consider appropriate. This is because international trips is seen as a privilege instead of a right. But is it?
Any other policy that unfairly dismissed people based on characteristics on which they do not have significant control, such as their ethnicity, race, sex, gender, religious education or native language, would be considered unacceptable. Why, when it comes to borders, do we accept policies that blatantly discriminate against people on the basis of where they were born? The world is more interconnected than ever, and the ability to move freely is essential to take advantage of the professional, educational and personal opportunities created by globalization: it should not be determined by the birthplace of a person.
Open borders are not politically feasible now, but what is possible is the resistance to temptations of xenophobia and nationalism in the United States and parts of Europe. The most liberal border policies are not only moral, but also benefit receiving nations by promoting economic growth, tourism, innovation and understanding between cultures.
Since 2018, Rwanda allows citizens of all countries to obtain a visa upon arrival without prior request, and Samoa It does not require a visa at all for stays of less than 60 days. Even China, historically known for its strict border policies, is advancing towards more inclusive immigration rules and opening its wider doors to foreign visitors. Has Mutual Visa Exemption Agreements With 23 countries, and since 2023 he has been implementing a series of unilateral policies without visas. Initially, alone Six countries They were covered, but this list has grown since then including 38 countries whose citizens can enter China without visa for business and tourism for up to 30 days.
Rwanda, Samoa and China are demonstrating that a more open world is not only possible but beneficial. They are giving a positive example that the so -called free world would do well to continue, instead of building increasingly high walls. The ability to travel freely should not be a privilege reserved for the lucky few, but a right, a recognition of our shared humanity and the interconnected world in which we live.
Rainer Ebert is a researcher in moral philosophy at the University of South Africa. Guaiqiong Li is an assistant researcher in African studies at Yunnan University in KunmingPorcelain.
