US Visa proposals 'really worrying' and clamping down on 'freedom of speech' says Doherty
Vivienne Clarke
MEP Regina Doherty has described as “really worrying” proposals that Irish visitors to the US will be required to disclose their social media histories from the last five years before entering the country, according to plans published by the Trump administration.
The proposal laid out in a notice published yesterday in the US Federal Register would apply to visitors from 42 countries, including Ireland, Britain, France, Australia and Japan, who do not need a visa to enter the United States.
“We now have an absolute clampdown of freedom of speech and, more importantly, freedom of thought.
"People are now going to not be allowed to have opinions on things before they actually will be refused a visa to go to the World Cup or on their J1 or the Olympics in 2028. It's a really worrying position to be in.
“Freedom of speech and freedom of thought are a right, and they're vital in a democracy, and they're central to European values. And actually, I thought that they were central to American values, too.
"And actually, the entire disruptive politics that we've seen in the last twelve months can only lead you to believe that America first is heading in one direction. And I think that is something that people should genuinely be concerned about.
“And there's a train of thought that maybe a lot of what the president is doing, albeit it's upsetting his natural allies and the rest of the world, is playing to a base where he's losing support.
"But it's hard to believe that the normal American public would allow something like this to happen when the natural chilling effect is that people will be afraid to go to America or they won't want to go through that scenario.
“Is their data going to be protected or are the likes of Meta and Facebook gonna hand over the data to American customs people or border control people? It gives rise to many infringements on natural rights that people have enjoyed for many, many years of freedom of expression.
“Even when you look at the response from the World Cup, the FIFA people, it's bizarre that the World Cup is going to be hosted by the land of the free, and yet we're going to actually provide this chilling effect.
"Now I know it's only a public consultation, and you hope that the American people will provide some sense of normality in the responses that they give. But the Americans have always enjoyed an enormous tourist industry, whether it's to Goldengate Bridge, Disneyland, you know, the places that we all love and enjoy.
“I think we need to remind Americans that Europeans absolutely really value the relationship that we have and thoroughly enjoy when we go to America for all of the reasons that we've done so for centuries.
"We need to remind them of the links, particularly from an Irish perspective of the tens of thousands of jobs that Irish companies provide in the US, the relationships that we have, the hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people that think they're of Irish descent, those ties are very emotional and they definitely bind us.
“And something that's been done that will absolutely provide a chilling effect to tourists, Irish tourists to America, needs to be reminded of people that we value our relationship far more than any cheap political stunt.
"Even the language that the President used yesterday, this is all about safety. It's about ensuring that the wrong people don't get into America.
“'I'm not the wrong person because I hold a different view to President Trump or to some of the American policies. You know, I'm still a valid, valued ally, as are the Europeans.
"But an awful lot of the language that's come out in the last couple of weeks and months looks like it's baiting European politicians to respond. And thankfully, I think we have been the adults in the room at a lot of those tables where we've talked about trade, where we've talked about increasing our defence funding, where we've looked for support, albeit humbly for Ukraine.
“And yet we continually have been called weak, weak, weak, weak. You know, it's as if we're constantly being baited.
"I think we need not fall for that. Continue to value the relationships that we have with America and with the community over there, and uphold the rights to freedom of speech and to freedom to just think what you want to think and express an opinion.”
