German Tourists Face Extended Detention at US Border

German Tourists Face Extended Detention at US Border
Above: A US Border Patrol truck near the Nogales-Mariposa port of entry on the US-Mexico border in Nogales, Arizona, US, on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. Image copyright: Rebecca Noble/Contributor/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Spin


Democratic narrative

Trump has erroneously invoked centuries-old laws to not only deport unauthorized immigrants and asylum seekers but also legal visitors, which is a blatant violation of law and due process. His use of 18th-century wartime laws, historically abused during peacetime like Japanese internment, targets immigrants without evidence, bypassing asylum rights. The extension to legal visitors is an alarming overreach and must be put to a halt.


Republican narrative

The president holds authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act to deport legal and illegal residents if the secretary of State deems them a threat to US foreign policy — a broad, discretionary power not requiring convictions. Historical precedent, like wartime deportations, supports this. Even Columbia's pro-Hamas activist, Mahmoud Khalil, who disrupted an American university campus, fits this mold. Security trumps residency rights.


Metaculus Prediction



The Controversies



Go Deeper


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