Latest news with #Statue
Toronto Star
7 days ago
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Coming to America? In 2025, the US to some looks less like a dream and more like a place to avoid
LONDON (AP) — The world may be rethinking the American dream. For centuries, people in other countries saw the United States as place of welcome and opportunity. Now, President Donald Trump's drive for mass deportations of migrants is riling the streets of Los Angeles, college campuses, even churches — and fueling a global rethinking about the virtues and promise of coming to America. 'The message coming from Washington is that you are not welcome in the United States,' said Edwin van Rest, CEO of Studyportals, which tracks real-time searches by international students considering studying in other countries. Student interest in studying in America has dropped to its lowest level since the COVID-19 pandemic, it found. 'The fact is, there are great opportunities elsewhere.' There has long been a romanticized notion about immigration and America. The reality has always been different, with race and ethnicity playing undeniable roles in the tension over who can be an American. The U.S. still beckons to the 'huddled masses' from the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. The strong economy has helped draw millions more every year, with the inflow driving the U.S. population over 340 million. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Early clues across industries — like tourism, trade, entertainment and education — suggest the American dream is fading for foreigners who have historically flooded to the U.S. Polling by Pew Research Center from January through April found that opinions of the U.S. have worsened over the past year in 15 of the 24 countries it surveyed. Trump and many of his supporters maintain that migrants in the country illegally threaten American safety, jobs and culture. But people in the country legally also have been caught in Trump's dragnet. And that makes prospective visitors to the U.S., even as tourists, leery. Trump's global tariff war and his campaign against international students who have expressed pro-Palestinian sympathies stick especially stubbornly in the minds of people across American borders who for decades clamored to participate in the land of free speech and opportunity. 'The chances of something truly horrific happening are almost certainly tiny,' Duncan Greaves, 62, of Queensland, Australia, advised a Reddit user asking whether to risk a vacation to the land of barbeques, big sky country and July 4 fireworks. 'Basically it's like the Dirty Harry quote: 'Do you feel lucky?'' 'American Creed,' American dilemma For much of its history, America had encouraged immigration as the country sought intellectual and economic fuel to spur its growth. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW But from the beginning, the United States has wrestled with the question of who is allowed to be an American. The new country was built on land brutally swiped from Native Americans. It was later populated by millions of enslaved Africans. The American Civil War ignited in part over the same subject. The federal Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers for a decade. During World War II, the U.S. government incarcerated about 120,000 people of Japanese descent in 10 concentration camps. About two-thirds were U.S. citizens. Still, the United States has always been a nation of immigrants, steered by the 'American Creed' developed by Thomas Jefferson, which posits that the tenets of equality, hard work and freedom are inherently American. Everyone, after all, comes from somewhere — a fact underscored on-camera in the Oval Office this month when German Chancellor Friedrich Merz gave the president the framed birth certificate of Trump's grandfather, also named Friedrich, who emigrated from Germany in 1885. He was one of millions of Germans who fled war and economic strife to move to the United States in the late 19th Century. There's a story there, too, that suggests the Trump family knows both the triumphs of immigration and the struggle and shame of being expelled. After marrying and making a fortune in America, the elder Trump attained U.S. citizenship and tried return to Germany. He was expelled for failing to complete his military service — and wrote about the experience. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'Why should we be deported? This is very, very hard for a family,' Friedrich Trump wrote to Luitpold, prince regent of Bavaria in 1905, according to a translation in Harper's magazine. 'What will our fellow citizens think if honest subjects are faced with such a decree — not to mention the great material losses it would incur.' Trump himself has married two immigrant women: the late Ivana Zelníčková Trump, of what's now the Czech Republic, and his current wife, Melania Knauss Trump of Slovenia. They're still coming to America. To Trump, that's long been a problem It's hard to overstate the degree to which immigration has changed the face and culture of America — and divided it. Immigration in 2024 drove U.S. population growth to its fastest rate in 23 years as the nation surpassed 340 million residents, the U.S. Census Bureau said in December. Almost 2.8 million more people immigrated to the United States last year than in 2023, partly because of a new method of counting that adds people who were admitted for humanitarian reasons. Net international migration accounted for 84% of the nation's 3.3 million-person increase in the most recent data reported. Immigration accounted for all of the growth in 16 states that otherwise would have lost population, according to the Brookings Institution. But where some Americans see immigration largely as an influx of workers and brain power, Trump sees an 'invasion,' a longstanding view. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Since returning to the White House, Trump has initiated an far-reaching campaign of immigration enforcement that has pushed the limits of executive power and clashed with federal judges trying to restrain him over his invocation of special powers to deport people, cancel visas and deposit deportees in third countries. In his second term, unlike his first, he's not retreating from some unpopular positions on immigration. Instead, the subject has emerged as Trump's strongest issue in public polling, reflecting both his grip on the Republican base and a broader shift in public sentiment. A June survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 46% of U.S. adults approve of Trump's handling of immigration, which is nearly 10 percentage points higher than his approval rating on the economy and trade. The poll was conducted at the beginning of the Los Angeles protests and did not include questions about Trump's military deployment to the city. Other countries, such as Denmark, open their doors The U.S. is still viewed as an economic powerhouse, though people in more countries consider China to be the world's top economy, according to the Pew poll, and it's unclear whether Trump's policies could cause a meaningful drain of international students and others who feel under siege in the United States. Netherlands-based Studyportals, which analyzes the searches for international schools by millions of students worldwide, reported that weekly pageviews for degrees in the U.S, collapsed by half between Jan. 5 and the end of April. It predicted that if the trend continues, the demand for programs in the U.S. could plummet further, with U.S. programs losing ground to countries like the United Kingdom and Australia. 'International students and their families seek predictability and security when choosing which country to trust with their future,' said Fanta Aw, CEO of NAFSA, which represents international educators. 'The U.S. government's recent actions have naturally shaken their confidence in the United States.'
Time of India
7 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Coming to America? In 2025, the US to some looks less like a dream and more like a place to avoid
The world may be rethinking the American dream. For centuries, people in other countries saw the United States as place of welcome and opportunity. Now, President Donald Trump 's drive for mass deportations of migrants is riling the streets of Los Angeles, college campuses, even churches - and fueling a global rethinking about the virtues and promise of coming to America. "The message coming from Washington is that you are not welcome in the United States," said Edwin van Rest, CEO of Studyportals, which tracks real-time searches by international students considering studying in other countries. Student interest in studying in America has dropped to its lowest level since the COVID-19 pandemic, it found. "The fact is, there are great opportunities elsewhere." Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play War Thunder now for free War Thunder Play Now Undo There has long been a romanticized notion about immigration and America. The reality has always been different, with race and ethnicity playing undeniable roles in the tension over who can be an American. The U.S. still beckons to the "huddled masses" from the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. The strong economy has helped draw millions more every year, with the inflow driving the US population over 340 million. (Join our ETNRI WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates) Early clues across industries - like tourism, trade, entertainment and education - suggest the American dream is fading for foreigners who have historically flooded to the US. Live Events You Might Also Like: US-bound scholars carry cares of the word on shoulders Polling by Pew Research Center from January through April found that opinions of the US have worsened over the past year in 15 of the 24 countries it surveyed. Trump and many of his supporters maintain that migrants in the country illegally threaten American safety, jobs and culture. But people in the country legally also have been caught in Trump 's dragnet. And that makes prospective visitors to the US, even as tourists, leery. Trump's global tariff war and his campaign against international students who have expressed pro-Palestinian sympathies stick especially stubbornly in the minds of people across American borders who for decades clamored to participate in the land of free speech and opportunity. "The chances of something truly horrific happening are almost certainly tiny," Duncan Greaves, 62, of Queensland, Australia, advised a Reddit user asking whether to risk a vacation to the land of barbeques, big sky country and July 4 fireworks. "Basically it's like the Dirty Harry quote: 'Do you feel lucky?'" You Might Also Like: What's changing for international students in the US right now? 'American Creed,' American dilemma For much of its history, America had encouraged immigration as the country sought intellectual and economic fuel to spur its growth. But from the beginning, the United States has wrestled with the question of who is allowed to be an American. The new country was built on land brutally swiped from Native Americans. It was later populated by millions of enslaved Africans. The American Civil War ignited in part over the same subject. The federal Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers for a decade. During World War II, the US government incarcerated about 120,000 people of Japanese descent in 10 concentration camps. About two-thirds were US citizens. Still, the United States has always been a nation of immigrants, steered by the "American Creed" developed by Thomas Jefferson, which posits that the tenets of equality, hard work and freedom are inherently American. Everyone, after all, comes from somewhere - a fact underscored on-camera in the Oval Office this month when German Chancellor Friedrich Merz gave the president the framed birth certificate of Trump's grandfather, also named Friedrich, who emigrated from Germany in 1885. He was one of millions of Germans who fled war and economic strife to move to the United States in the late 19th Century. There's a story there, too, that suggests the Trump family knows both the triumphs of immigration and the struggle and shame of being expelled. After marrying and making a fortune in America, the elder Trump attained US citizenship and tried return to Germany. He was expelled for failing to complete his military service - and wrote about the experience. "Why should we be deported? This is very, very hard for a family," Friedrich Trump wrote to Luitpold, prince regent of Bavaria in 1905, according to a translation in Harper's magazine. "What will our fellow citizens think if honest subjects are faced with such a decree - not to mention the great material losses it would incur." Trump himself has married two immigrant women: the late Ivana Zelničkova Trump, of what's now the Czech Republic, and his current wife, Melania Knauss Trump of Slovenia. They're still coming to America. To Trump, that's long been a problem It's hard to overstate the degree to which immigration has changed the face and culture of America - and divided it. Immigration in 2024 drove US population growth to its fastest rate in 23 years as the nation surpassed 340 million residents, the U.S. Census Bureau said in December. Almost 2.8 million more people immigrated to the United States last year than in 2023, partly because of a new method of counting that adds people who were admitted for humanitarian reasons. Net international migration accounted for 84% of the nation's 3.3 million-person increase in the most recent data reported. Immigration accounted for all of the growth in 16 states that otherwise would have lost population, according to the Brookings Institution. But where some Americans see immigration largely as an influx of workers and brain power, Trump sees an "invasion," a longstanding view. Since returning to the White House , Trump has initiated an far-reaching campaign of immigration enforcement that has pushed the limits of executive power and clashed with federal judges trying to restrain him over his invocation of special powers to deport people, cancel visas and deposit deportees in third countries. In his second term, unlike his first, he's not retreating from some unpopular positions on immigration. Instead, the subject has emerged as Trump's strongest issue in public polling, reflecting both his grip on the Republican base and a broader shift in public sentiment. A June survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 46% of US adults approve of Trump's handling of immigration, which is nearly 10 percentage points higher than his approval rating on the economy and trade. The poll was conducted at the beginning of the Los Angeles protests and did not include questions about Trump's military deployment to the city. Other countries, such as Denmark, open their doors The US is still viewed as an economic powerhouse, though people in more countries consider China to be the world's top economy, according to the Pew poll, and it's unclear whether Trump's policies could cause a meaningful drain of international students and others who feel under siege in the United States. Netherlands-based Studyportals, which analyzes the searches for international schools by millions of students worldwide, reported that weekly pageviews for degrees in the US, collapsed by half between Jan. 5 and the end of April. It predicted that if the trend continues, the demand for programs in the US could plummet further, with US programs losing ground to countries like the United Kingdom and Australia. "International students and their families seek predictability and security when choosing which country to trust with their future," said Fanta Aw, CEO of NAFSA, which represents international educators. "The US government's recent actions have naturally shaken their confidence in the United States."
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Fact Check: Walmart heiress Christy Walton paid for NYT anti-Trump protest ad. Here's everything we know
Claim: Walmart heiress Christy Walton paid for a newspaper advertisement in The New York Times that promoted an anti-Trump 'No Kings' protest on June 14, 2025. Rating: As U.S. President Donald Trump's planned military parade to celebrate his birthday approached in June 2025, rumors circulated on social media that an heiress to the Walmart retail fortune, Christy Walton, paid for a full-page, anti-Trump advertisement in a newspaper. Christy Walton is a billionaire with a net worth of $19.3 billion, as of June 2025, according to Forbes, widow of John T. Walton, the son of Walmart founder Sam Walton. Users shared an image of the purported ad, featuring the Statue of Liberty and some text advertising a protest on June 14, 2025, on social media. The claim circulated widely on X (archived, archived, archived), Threads (archived), Facebook (archived) and Instagram (archived). Users sharing the claim included U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna from Florida, who said, "the Walmart dynasty is big mad about China Tariffs." The alleged ad read: No Kings June 14 Mobilize We are a people of principle and honor. We honor our commitments and stand by our allies. We defend against aggression by dictators. We uphold and defend the Constitution. We care for veterans and children. We respect our neighbors and trading partners. We support a healthy national and international economy, community, and environment. We are the world leader trusted to uphold the stability of rule of law. We are the people of the United States of America. The honor, dignity, and integrity of our country are not for sale. Our government is of the people, by the people, and for the people. The bottom of the advertisement depicted a QR code leading to the No Kings website, along with the words "paid for by Christy Walton" and "the views represented here are solely those of Christy Walton." The claim is true. The ad ran in the Sunday, June 8, 2025, edition of The New York Times and can be seen on Page 9 of the paper, including the digital edition in addition to other papers nationwide. A spokesperson for the billionaire also confirmed to Snopes via telephone that Walton paid for the ad but has no official connection to the organizers behind the No Kings protest. The No Kings day of protest is described on its website as "a nationwide day of defiance" scheduled to take place on Saturday, June 14, 2025, which is flag day, Trump's 79th birthday and the date of the president's planned military parade. The No Kings website declared, "From city blocks to small towns, from courthouse steps to community parks, we're taking action to reject authoritarianism — and show the world what democracy really looks like. We're not gathering to feed his ego. We're building a movement that leaves him behind." While Walton inherited a 1.9% stake in Walmart following her husband's 2005 death, according to Forbes, a spokesperson for Walmart told Snopes via email that Walton has no involvement in the business. Walmart's full statement to Snopes read: We condemn violence, including when it's directed towards law enforcement, and the damaging of property. As a company with associates and customers in the Los Angeles region, we remain focused on their safety and that of impacted communities. The advertisements from Christy Walton are in no way connected to or endorsed by Walmart. She does not serve on the board or play any role in decision making at Walmart. Though Walmart's statement addresses violence at protests, it's important to note that nothing in the advertisement called for violence of any kind and did not directly address the ongoing protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Los Angeles. Further, No Kings calls "nonviolent action" a "core principle" of their events. Its website's "about" page stated, "We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values and to act lawfully at these events. Weapons of any kind, including those legally permitted, should not be brought to events." Walton is a noted philanthropist and a review of her political contributions listed on the Federal Election Commission (FEC) database shows hefty donations to organizations like Planned Parenthood and The Lincoln Project, as well as former Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign for president. In September 2024, Bloomberg reported Walton co-hosted a fundraiser for Harris in Wyoming, where she lives. Further, the outlet wrote Walton was "one of the prominent Democratic donors who urged President Joe Biden to exit the race after his calamitous debate performance against Republican rival Donald Trump." Snopes reached out to the No Kings organizers and will update this article if we receive a response. "Browse Individual Contributions." Accessed 11 June 2025. McEvoy, Jemima. "Billionaire Walmart Heiress Urges People To 'Mobilize' At June 14 Anti-Trump Protests." Forbes, Accessed 11 June 2025. "No Kings." No Kings, Accessed 11 June 2025. "Son of Wal-Mart Founder Killed in Plane Crash." NBC News, 28 June 2005, The New York Times Replica Edition. Accessed 11 June 2025.
The Sun
11-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
US begins uneasy World Cup countdown amid Trump deployment
U.S. cities hosting next year's FIFA World Cup faced questions on Wednesday about how to reassure international fans concerned by President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown and travel ban as the year-to-go countdown began. The United States, along with Canada and Mexico, is set to co-host the finals, which will feature 48 teams and a record 104 matches in a tournament that FIFA boss Gianni Infantino said would usher in a new generation of soccer fans. Celebrities and soccer stars were due to walk the red carpet at the Fox Studio Lot in Los Angeles - one of the host cities - for the year-to-go event there, a day after President Trump deployed Marines and the National Guard to quell protests. California Governor Gavin Newsom described the deployment as an 'unmistakable step toward authoritarianism,' while Trump officials defended it and branded the protests as lawless, blaming local and state Democrats for permitting upheaval. Los Angeles is one of several host cities that will mark the year-to-go occasion, including New York-New Jersey, which will welcome fans at a waterside festival in Jersey City with the Statue of Liberty in view. 'If we look at (American) football as the U.S.'s sport, soccer is the world's sport and this is an opportunity for us to welcome people from all over the world,' Alex Lasry, the New York-New Jersey host Committee CEO, told Reuters. Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch, said FIFA needed to work with the U.S. government to ensure the rights of competitors, support staff, fans and media were protected regardless of their identities or views. 'FIFA should publicly acknowledge the threat US immigration and other anti-human rights policies pose to the tournament's integrity ... (and) should establish clear benchmarks and timelines for the US policy changes needed to ensure respect for immigrants' rights during the 2026 World Cup and beyond,' she said. U.S. Democratic leaders raised concerns over a national crisis on Tuesday as Trump moved U.S. Marines into Los Angeles to tackle civilian protests over his immigration policies. 'There are certainly things that are happening at the national level, the international level, there are going to be geopolitical issues that we don't even know right now that are going to affect the tournament,' Meg Kane, a host city executive for Philadelphia told reporters at a Paley Center event on Monday. 'So we recognise that we're planning within uncertainty.' FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. INFANTINO CONFIDENT FIFA President Gianni Infantino said last month after meeting Trump that he was confident the world would be welcomed in for the 2026 World Cup and this year's Club World Cup, which runs from June 14 to July 13. But the task of reassuring international fans was complicated by a travel ban that went into effect on Monday, cracking down on what Trump called 'foreign terrorists'. Of the 12 countries facing travel bans, Iran is the only one that has qualified for the 2026 tournament so far. Tehran said on Saturday that the ban showed 'deep hostility' toward Iranians and Muslims. European fans, supporter groups and former players contacted by Reuters said it was too early for anyone to be thinking about revising schedules or reevaluating plans for attending the World Cup. Alina Hudak, the Miami host committee president and CEO, told Reuters she had been in touch with the local consular corps to address their concerns and to offer support. 'My responsibility is to make sure that we're ready, that we're safe, that we're coordinating logistically with all of our law enforcement agencies, that we've done everything we can to ensure that our mass transit system is ready and can handle the volume,' said Hudak. 'And so for me, you know, what's happening outside of that is something that we're monitoring, but not something that, quite frankly, I have an impact (on).'
The Sun
11-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
US begins uneasy World Cup countdown as Trump moves Marines to Los Angeles
U.S. cities hosting next year's FIFA World Cup faced questions on Wednesday about how to reassure international fans concerned by President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown and travel ban as the year-to-go countdown began. The United States, along with Canada and Mexico, is set to co-host the finals, which will feature 48 teams and a record 104 matches in a tournament that FIFA boss Gianni Infantino said would usher in a new generation of soccer fans. Celebrities and soccer stars were due to walk the red carpet at the Fox Studio Lot in Los Angeles - one of the host cities - for the year-to-go event there, a day after President Trump deployed Marines and the National Guard to quell protests. California Governor Gavin Newsom described the deployment as an 'unmistakable step toward authoritarianism,' while Trump officials defended it and branded the protests as lawless, blaming local and state Democrats for permitting upheaval. Los Angeles is one of several host cities that will mark the year-to-go occasion, including New York-New Jersey, which will welcome fans at a waterside festival in Jersey City with the Statue of Liberty in view. 'If we look at (American) football as the U.S.'s sport, soccer is the world's sport and this is an opportunity for us to welcome people from all over the world,' Alex Lasry, the New York-New Jersey host Committee CEO, told Reuters. Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch, said FIFA needed to work with the U.S. government to ensure the rights of competitors, support staff, fans and media were protected regardless of their identities or views. 'FIFA should publicly acknowledge the threat US immigration and other anti-human rights policies pose to the tournament's integrity ... (and) should establish clear benchmarks and timelines for the US policy changes needed to ensure respect for immigrants' rights during the 2026 World Cup and beyond,' she said. U.S. Democratic leaders raised concerns over a national crisis on Tuesday as Trump moved U.S. Marines into Los Angeles to tackle civilian protests over his immigration policies. 'There are certainly things that are happening at the national level, the international level, there are going to be geopolitical issues that we don't even know right now that are going to affect the tournament,' Meg Kane, a host city executive for Philadelphia told reporters at a Paley Center event on Monday. 'So we recognise that we're planning within uncertainty.' FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. INFANTINO CONFIDENT FIFA President Gianni Infantino said last month after meeting Trump that he was confident the world would be welcomed in for the 2026 World Cup and this year's Club World Cup, which runs from June 14 to July 13. But the task of reassuring international fans was complicated by a travel ban that went into effect on Monday, cracking down on what Trump called 'foreign terrorists'. Of the 12 countries facing travel bans, Iran is the only one that has qualified for the 2026 tournament so far. Tehran said on Saturday that the ban showed 'deep hostility' toward Iranians and Muslims. European fans, supporter groups and former players contacted by Reuters said it was too early for anyone to be thinking about revising schedules or reevaluating plans for attending the World Cup. Alina Hudak, the Miami host committee president and CEO, told Reuters she had been in touch with the local consular corps to address their concerns and to offer support. 'My responsibility is to make sure that we're ready, that we're safe, that we're coordinating logistically with all of our law enforcement agencies, that we've done everything we can to ensure that our mass transit system is ready and can handle the volume,' said Hudak. 'And so for me, you know, what's happening outside of that is something that we're monitoring, but not something that, quite frankly, I have an impact (on).'
