Two 19 year old German women decided to take a trip to Hawaii. A day later, after being strip-searched and interrogated for hours, they were deported back to Germany. Appalling, of course, but at least it’s not El Salvador.
This sort of thing has been going on since the start of the new administration, but is not letting up. As a result, the number of visitors from Europe to the USA has dropped by 30%. Still more Canadians are avoiding the country: they’ve been threatened with annexation as well.
It’s obviously a bad thing for the tourist industry, which looks to be in big trouble if this continues into the summer. By coincidence, the effects of the trade war should hit at the same time.
I think I’ve worked out the strategy.
There are 12 million people working in tourism. Hotels, shopping, events, guides and so on. At the same time, there is a shortage of people to staff the new factories. Sewing machines, welding, assembly, packaging, that sort of thing.
If the new factories are all ready in time, and if they manage to sort out the supply chain problems, these extra workers will come in handy. Provided their skills are transferrable, and maybe also if they are in the right location. Could work.
Maybe this is what the president means when he says the tourism collapse is “not a problem”. He’s looking forward to the new tourist resort in Gaza.