Trump’s Controversial Immigration Plan: Denying Entry to ‘Communists’ and ‘Marxists

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Donald Trump has announced a new campaign proposal on United States immigration — barring “communists” and “Marxists” from entering the country. The Republican former president, who is making another bid in 2024, on Saturday said he would use “Section 212 (f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act” to “order my government to deny entry to all communists and all Marxists.”

The announcement was reminiscent of Trump’s ban on travelers from several predominantly Muslim countries during his first term, which was heavily criticized as anti-Muslim and ultimately revoked by President Joe Biden.
“Those who come to enjoy our country must love our country,” Trump said during a speech at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s conference in Washington, adding, “We’re going to keep foreign, Christian-hating communists, Marxists and socialists out of America.”

He also said there needs to be a “new law” to address communists and Marxists who grew up in America, but he didn’t elaborate on what it would include. Trump’s proposal also raised questions about whether a decades-old law could actually be used to ban all communist and Marxist immigrants to the U.S., how it would work, and why Trump is so focused on these political theories in a country where few residents support them .

Here’s a look at existing U.S. laws and what Trump’s proposal could look like:

WHAT DOES CURRENT U.S. LAW SAYS ABOUT THIS?
U.S. Immigration law already bars people who are members of a Communist Party from becoming naturalized citizens or green card holders, said Andrew Arthur, a former immigration judge and fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies, which is a Washington, D.C.-based think tank that advocates for less immigration in the U.S.

U.S. immigration law says that any immigrant “… who is or has been a member of or affiliated with the Communist or any other totalitarian party (or subdivision or affiliate thereof), domestic or foreign, is inadmissible. But, it does have some exceptions. For example, people who had to join the Communist Party in order to get a job or if their membership was issued when under age 16, according to immigration code. The prohibition also doesn’t currently apply to someone who wants to visit the U.S., such as on a tourist visa or as a student.