Who is Donald Trump Really Keeping Out?

March 24th, 2025

Sadie Zwonitzer

So far, the 2025 Trump administration has quickly become known for its radical immigration policies, but now, Trump is succeeding in keeping a new set of people away from the United States: Europeans.

Earlier this month, in an unprecedented move, a French scientist was detained and denied entry into the United States following their public criticism of the Donald Trump administration. This could serve as a deterrent to outside individuals wishing to do business with or inside the United States, but also serves as the first time that a foreign official has been detained for criticism of the sitting president. However, this individual might have gotten lucky.

Fabian Schmidt, a German national, and legal U.S green card holder was recently detained by ICE, in which he was “stripped naked and violently interrogated by officers." He will join a long list of legal residents who have been wrongfully detained by ICE, such as a Canadian doctor, who was detained by ICE and placed in a freezing holding cell for multiple weeks, and was even almost deported to Venezuela, despite never being given legal cause for her detention. As such, Europe has issued a travel warning to its citizens. Both the governments of Germany and the United Kingdom have now placed the United States on a travel advisory list. Worryingly for the US, these lists have historically been reserved for war-torn or totalitarian nations, that citizens should take extra precautions when traveling to.

Trump’s illegal detention of Canadian citizens has even swapped the political polling in the country, with the newly elected Liberal Party leader and Prime Minister, Mark Carney, now leading conservative politician Pierre Poilievre in the Canadian Prime Minister elections.