How Trump’s immigration order could hurt economy

Staff/wire reports

WASHINGTON

President Donald Trump’s executive order suspending immigration from seven majority-Muslim countries could slow the U.S. economy by hampering two of the nation’s top export industries: Tourism and higher education.

Trump’s immigration order followed his order to build a wall along the border with Mexico and his vow to rip up NAFTA. Combined, those moves could discourage visitors and students from many countries – not just the seven covered by the order – economists say.

They also reflect Trump’s shift toward an “America First” approach and away from the pro-globalization policies embraced by his predecessors. His combative trade stance potentially could open the door for China and other economic powers to fill a void.

Foreign tourists provide critical support to the U.S. economy. In 2015, they spent roughly $199 billion on items ranging from hotel rooms and restaurant meals to plane tickets and amusement parks. That spending counts as exports. Travel and tourism made up nearly 9 percent of U.S. exports that year.

When foreign students attend an American college or university and pay tuition, that spending also counts as a US export. Education spending from overseas reached roughly $36 billion in 2015 – up nearly 50 percent from three years earlier, according to Commerce Department data.

Meanwhile, Youngstown State University’s Academic Senate and Youngstown City Council issued separate resolutions Wednesday dissenting to President Donald Trump’s recently implemented immigration order.

The YSU resolution states the order “significantly impacts the university’s international students, faculty and staff in a deeply negative manner” and is a “callous affront” to cultures found within the Mahoning Valley.

“The Academic Senate of Youngstown State University hereby expresses its profound disapprobation for these and any immigration policies that discriminate against persons based on their national origin or religion, who merely seek to live and work in a safe environment,” the resolution states.

The city council resolution, also sponsored by Mayor John A. McNally, urged the Trump administration to revoke the executive order, Congress to vote to end the ban and encouraged legal challenges to the order.

“A one-size-fits-all solution is not the way to solve one of the most complex national security challenges we face – Islamic terrorism,” the resolution reads. “The executive order banning visa adjudication from seven countries does not make us safer, rather it decreases the security of our homeland and endangers the lives of thousands of American men and women in our military, diplomatic corps and intelligence services.”

McNally and all members of city council are Democrats while Trump is a Republican.