Trump’s immigration curbs no surprise, those affected say
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Many citizens of Muslim-majority countries affected by President Donald Trump’s curbs on travel to the United States say they were hardly surprised the restrictions rank among his first orders of business.
The new commander-in-chief had, after all, once called for a “complete and total shutdown” of Muslim arrivals, and in his inaugural speech vowed to eradicate “radical Islamic terrorism” from the face of the earth.
But that doesn’t make news of the clampdown sting any less for those on the receiving end.
“No one is surprised but everyone is disappointed, especially with the height of hope with (Barack) Obama,” said Khalid al-Baih, a 36-year-old political cartoonist from Sudan. He fears new American visa restrictions will now have a knock-on effect. “Whatever America does, the rest of the world follows.”