Refutation: What About the Economy?

We all know that Donald Trump’s main goal in implementing his travel ban is “protecting” American lives, but is the injustice he is forcing upon the many immigrants and refugees trying to enter the country really worth the potential economic pitfalls?

According to Forbes, the travel ban can have some serious implications for trade and the U.S. economy, including tariffs, in addition to copying Trump’s order and implementing it in their own country, making business a lot harder for companies that have manufacturing plants outside of the U.S.

Similarly, one of the bigger economic impacts that Trump’s policy could lead to is a decrease in overall tourism in the United States. Although the ban makes it impossible for immigrants and refugees to come to America from seven predominantly Muslim countries, the sheer fact that the United States is partaking in an extremely exclusive, threatening foreign policy is enough to scare some potential visitors from other un-banned foreign countries from visiting. This could cause the U.S. to lose substantial income from tourism, even if they are not directly effected by the travel ban.

Not only that, but it could have implications for the American education system as well, especially in terms of foreign students coming to America for college, which could effect costs for United States citizens attending college. International students made up 5.2% of the college system in 2016, and the fear is that the students being banned from the country due to the travel ban will decide not to enroll in the fall, and could also effect the choices of students of countries who are not on the ban list, much like the tourism debacle.

Although the protection of the American people should be the top priority of the President, the extreme nature of his ban and it’s deterrence of tourism should not burden the many Americans who suffer from this ban. President Trump needs to fully understand the economic implications of this plan, not just the implications for the Trump brand, to see if this is truly the best plan for America and the refugees and immigrants seeking safety.