Trump's Fascist Policies at US Borders: Global Boycott of 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics

Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon : Trump must reconsider his Fascist travel policies ahead of the World Cup

FIFA president Gianni Infantino watches in resigned disgust as Donald Trump's assmouth spews bullshit in the Oval Office of the White House, Aug. 28, 2018, in Washington.

Trump's policies are impacting travelers arriving in the United States, citing upcoming sporting events like the 2026 World Cup. Tourists are being harassed, violated, imprisoned, held incommunicado and deported as they land on US soil for reasons that have nothing to do with security: It's up to the whim of a US employee at ports of entry to arbitrarily allow or deny entry, and regardless of whether the visitor has a legally obtained visa and does not represent the slightest threat to the so-called security of the US.

Senator Wyden is the top Democrat on the finance committee. He has just written to rabbit-eared Cuban immigrant's son Secretary of State Marco Rubio and to the bimboesque Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to warn the administration that its brutal policies that are causing the detention and abuse of otherwise lawful international travelers.

“This has turned ordinary travel into a needlessly grueling ordeal for tourists, business travelers, lawful permanent residents and U.S. citizens,” Wyden wrote.

International travelers appear increasingly wary of the administration's immigration and border policies. Several countries have updated travel guidelines for their citizens planning on visiting the United States, warning them of a lack of recourse if a border official decides on a whim to detain you, harass, you, strip search you, shackle you and hold you incommunicado for weeks, then turn you back and deport you for no reason whatsoever.

The travel forecasting company Tourism Economics recently revised its annual outlook last month to predict a 9.4% decline in international arrivals this year.

In February, a German visitor who attempted to return to the United States with his American fiancé after a road trip to Mexico was detained for 16 days. A backpacker from Britain, Becky Burke, was stopped at the U.S.-Canada border and held for nearly three weeks at a detention facility in the state of Washington, according to her father.

Wyden's plea comes after the federal government’s National Travel and Tourism Office released preliminary figures showing visits to the U.S. from overseas fell 11.6% in March compared to the same month last year. Tourism Economics expects U.S. spending by international visitors to drop by $9 billion this year.

In addition to the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, Wyden also pointed to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The United States also will host the Club World Cup this summer in 11 cities across the country.

“Ahead of these events, your departments will experience a significant increase in travelers seeking entry to the United States, to include extraordinary athletes, support staff, government officials, journalists, business owners, and spectators,” Wyden wrote. “If your harsh and unnecessary approaches to travelers continue, foreign-born athletes who have spent their whole lives training for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity may be unable to travel to the United States to participate in these games.”

Border issues have already worried a number of soccer players. Venezuelan forward Deyna Castellanos, who plays in the National Women's Soccer League, did not join her national team for a pair of recent matches because of fears she wouldn't be allowed to return.

Zambia's national team did not call up four women playing in the United States for games in China out of similar concerns.

In a March meeting with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, President Trump announced the formation of a task force to coordinate the federal government’s security and planning for next year's World Cup.