Former President Donald Trump imposed multiple travel bans on travelers from Muslim-majority countries during his administration, and now his own international travel could be subject to restrictions following his felony conviction in New York on Thursday.
As of now, Trump has not been subject to any specific travel restrictions from Judge Juan Marchan, who presided over his “hush money” criminal trial in New York, where he was convicted of 34 felony counts. His sentence is scheduled for July 11, four days before the Republican National Convention, where the presidential nomination will be formally decided. Trump, who is in the middle of the presidential campaign and facing three other criminal trials, has not announced any international travel plans.
The United States does not allow foreign nationals who have been convicted of felonies to enter the country, as do many other countries. Allied nations such as the UK and Australia have strict travel restrictions for people with felony convictions, according to the European System for Travel Authorization. Canada, which will host the G7 summit in 2025, also has strict conditions for travelers with criminal records. Felons are also barred from entering China.
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But if Trump wins again, international leaders might make an exception: Former President George W. Bush had to apply for a special exemption to enter Canada on an official state visit because he pleaded guilty decades ago to a 1976 drunk-driving charge, which was a misdemeanor, not a felony.
If re-elected, Trump plans to update and review travel restrictions into the U.S. Last year, he said he would reinstate the travel ban “even more dramatically than before,” referring to his administration's restrictions on travelers from several Muslim-majority countries.
The Supreme Court ultimately upheld the President's travel ban in a 5-4 decision in 2018. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion that the President has broad power to regulate immigration. “The only prerequisite is that the entry of the alien in question would be 'inimical to the interests of the United States,'” he wrote. The President undoubtedly met this requirement. He also noted that President Trump had ordered and published an evaluation of each country's compliance with the risk assessment criteria.
The former president often refers to them as “criminals” when talking about the surge in illegal immigrants crossing the US-Mexico border.
“We're expelling criminals. We're expelling criminals in record numbers. They're the ones we're going after,” the former president said in a 2017 interview with The Associated Press early in his term.
As he awaits sentencing in the “hush money” case, Trump maintains he has done nothing wrong.
“I'm going to do whatever it takes to defend our country and our Constitution. I don't care,” Trump said during a speech from Trump Tower on Friday.
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